Sonata
by Pyocola Analogue III
Summary: AU: All Soul Eater Evans wanted was his parents to stop complaining. All Maka Albarn wanted was her chance to grasp at her dreams of being a writer. Can love blossom in a mutually manipulative environment filled with psychotic friends? SoMa
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter One

The Evans Dukedom; an elite family of rich, famous musicians that have a spotless record dating back for centuries. Members of the Evans clan are known for having silky locks the color of fresh fallen snow and eyes the same hue as freshly fallen blood, as well as being gifted with the blessed curse of perfect pitch. The members of this clan are known for grace, intelligence and naturally bred leadership skills. This high reputation has led to a wonderful, gorgeous life in the lap of luxury with everything they could ever need; even in modern times, they are praised as high as possible by those around them in D-City.

And then there's that one black dot on the stainless reputation, trapped in a sense of dissatisfaction.

There was a loud crashing sound down the hall, causing his hand to slip and his bow to scratch the string in an awkward positioning. A harsh, unnamed and disharmonious chord screeched free, causing the young man to wince and hiss in response. He shifted his violin from his neck, sighed, and placed the wooden instrument back in the black velvet case. He then placed a gold tinted satin cloth over the instrument from the base, over the strings and up to tuck around the scroll. He heard loud, boisterous laughter escape two different tones and the clatter of footsteps rush past the shut door. Cautiously, he walked over, opened the door, and poked his head out over the doorframe. He just caught the disappearing silhouettes and snickers of the two passing figures.

"Ah, so Black*Star snuck in somehow. No wonder things have become so noisy," He grumbled to himself, preparing to shut the door and return to his solitary hiding spot.

"Wes!" A shrill voice suddenly called, causing said male to flinch and groan. Though he loves his mother to death, he could do without her high-pitched tones meant to imply she was in need of assistance, importance of said task be damned. She appears in a shush of voluptuous tangerine fabrics, the loud click of heels on tile, and an alto-pitched huff. This is one reason his mother's voice rides on anyone's nerves when it gets to high-pitched; by breeding, her voice was designed for a slightly deeper and somewhat sultry tone.

Duchess Masumi Evans was held in highest of esteems, even in her later years where she mostly just entertained guests in the Evans family home. Masumi had once been a world-renown musician with the slender, long fingers that made her the wonderful match for the golden instrument known as the harp she played. She met her husband, William Evans, through their years in the same symphony orchestra together. Even now, his mother was a master of grace and, despite her oddities, almost always had a gaggle of giggling older women in her company. At current, she was holding out her left hand, clad in a blue and pink-polka-dot glove, and looking over the matching right with a serious expression. "Is something the matter, Mother?" Wes asked after a polite pause.

Her cardinal tinted eyes snapped from her hand to him before she giggled, clasped her hands together and batted her lashes at him. A sinking feeling developed in the young man's gut; his mother was going to ask him some painfully difficult or painfully dull task that he'd force himself to grin and bear for her sake. "Wes, we need to discuss your baby brother," She hummed musically. His shoulders relaxed a little bit at this. Specifically, the quality of her voice calmed him a bit.

"Is there another issue with his friend, Black*Star? I can assure you, Mother, that trying to separate the two of them will have adverse conse-" She held up a hand, cutting him off half way through his sentence. He blinked a few times, his own burgundy eyes seeming to note the more serious glint to his mother's eyes. He closed his mouth and waiting her comment so that he'd know exactly what this would be about.

"I may not care for that orphaned heir to the Star family Dukedom, but he is not the current issue I want you to help me handle. Soul has stopped playing his piano," She said. She then dropped her hand and folded her arms over her chest, a sorrowful scowl twisting on her lips. "Or, rather, he's refusing to play. He says that it gets dull rehearsing by himself all day. I suggested he do a duet with you, but he was adamantly against that as well."

Wes wasn't surprised by this little nugget of information; though his parents tried to pretend not to notice, his brother felt inferior and was intimidated by him. Soul was a headstrong, lazy, loud-mouthed boy until it came to his older sibling. Around Wes, he became somewhat more reserved and docile, like a well-trained dog. He would act the role of quiet, polite gentleman but was always left unable to relax; a gift and a curse was their relationship, the way Wes saw it. Though he could bring the best out of his kid brother, the other was unable to feel at true peace going through the motions of high society. No, he agreed with his brother that right now a duet between the two of them would be disastrous. Until Soul's confidence in himself grew a little he'd never be able to truly enjoy the experience. "I can see where that may be an issue. It sounds like you need to find him an ensemble to join, or at least a singer to collaborate with," He suggested casually.

His mother's eyes lit up. "That's an excellent idea, Wes! Oh, Soul would just love to have the chance to make little friends with talent and practice with them!" She beamed happily.

"Glad to help, Mother," Wes began as he exited his rehearsal room. He shut the door with a soft click and flashed her a small smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I might take a little stroll through town. Maybe pick up some new strings and sheet music, or something like that."

"Actually, Wes, I need a little something from you," She giggled impishly, grinning at him innocently. He kept his gaze fixed on his mother; he had helped her solve one crisis, couldn't he go and enjoy the rest of his afternoon as he'd like? "We'll be hosting a party tonight, as I'm sure you already know. I hadn't thought about entertainment yet, which is actually a blessing to us, given your suggestion on how to help your brother. While you're out, see about finding an ensemble for Soul; we can have them perform tonight and see how he responds to them. But make sure that they have good backgrounds; I don't want him making music with a bunch of street urchins who will just dirty up the house and muddy the sound of Soul's skills." Her tone was cheerful and airy until the last sentence. Then, it took a more authoritive tone that was clipped and hedged, like a drill sergeant relaying the rules to their newest batch of understudies.

Well, there went his half prepared plans of relaxing and enjoying the rest of his afternoon. "Of course, Mother. I can't promise I'll find anything of real interest, given my time frame won't be very large, but I'll do my best," He said with a bright smile. _'For Soul's sake, at the very least.'_ He mused to himself, too afraid his mother would misunderstand what he meant by the statement. Despite the slight strain in their relationship, he really did care about his younger brother and wanted to see him succeed. If it required him to sacrifice one afternoon that he hadn't really planned out?

He didn't see it as much of a sacrifice, really.

…

Wes sighed as he slumped into a seat at a local pub. It was a nice place, with low candles lighting it and a live band always playing. He had searched around town all day, listening to band after band but still he couldn't find a single group that he felt would work with Soul. Not only that, but including the guidelines set by his mother, it was even more difficult; the bands he did think might make Soul's cut were then eliminated because of his mother's more refined taste. He lightly pinched the bridge of his nose. _'This has been far more troublesome than I anticipated,'_ He thought in slight dismay.

"Meow! Hey there, little cutie~!"

He opened his eyes slightly at the sultry purr of a soprano female tone. He was greeted by a pair of bubbly golden spheres set in a rather lovely face. The woman giggled and cocked her head to one side, her strange violet tresses falling like a curtain over her exposed shoulders. She wore a tight, sleeveless black dress with a red bedazzled belt with large silver buckle in the center notch on her hips. With it, she had on black high heeled boots that stayed at her ankles, leaving her legs completely exposed. She had a gorgeous hourglass shape that seemed to match with her elegant face well. A small black purse with a cat face stitched on it was tossed over one shoulder, held there by a thin black piece of rope. What Wes found strange about her, however, were the fake purple ears she had on her head; he could see the tips of the black pins she used to keep them in place sticking out a little through her hair.

"You're Wes Evans, aren't you?" She asked as she settled into the seat next to him, scooting closer and rested her hands on his upper arm. He raised an eyebrow at her; she was one of those girls, wasn't she? Lots of girls who wanted to marry into a successful, rich family or just wanted to become the talk of the town would often approach him and try to solicit his attention. He looked away and very calmly tried to disentangle his arm. Her grip tightened a bit, her nail nicking his skin a bit. He looked down sharply and was greeted with a wicked glint in those amber pools and her pale pink lips twisted up in a somewhat demonic grin. "I think you're misreading my intentions, darling. I just want to talk a little."

"And what would you like to talk about, exactly?" He asked calmly, forcing his frame to relax against her. Sometimes the girls would get a little bizarre like this. If he was calm and practiced a little patience, he'd be able to call for a bouncer or manager to pry his newfound arm-charm off.

"The word down the grape vine is you've been waltzing all around town and checking into all the local ensembles. If you're looking for something special, I think I've got just the ticket," She purred happily, her grip on his arm loosening a bit. She slipped one hand away and rummaged through her purse, finally producing a little card shaped like a pumpkin. She offered to it and he took it with his free hand.

It was decorated with a Jack-O-Lantern face and, in neon pink lettering, said "Witch Blair; Manager to the greatest society has to offer." _'So she isn't a crazy fangirl; she's a crazy manager,'_ He thought, a little relieved and disappointed by this new turn of events. "So you are managing some very talented children, I presume?" He asked as some newcomers walked on stage.

It was a small pair of a boy and a girl. The boy was unpacking a violin while the girl set up his stand and sheet music for him. The boy had jet black hair with three white stripes dyed on left side only; perhaps a risqué move their manager, Witch Blair, as her card announced, decided may help their image? His eyes were a hue of gold similar to their manager's but were harsh with concentration as he tested the fine tuning of his instrument. He was wearing an all black suit with three white stripes on the chest and either shoulder, a skull shaped pin placed at the collar of his attire. It seemed a little formal for a performance in a pub but Wes kept it to himself.

The girl, however, was a bit more casual than him. She had fair-hair tied up with pink ribbons in pigtails that made her deep emerald spheres stand out more in her cute little face. He estimated her age to be around fifteen or so, close to his younger brother. She was wearing a short sleeved pink dress with a long sleeved white dress underneath, most likely to help add to her cherubic charm. After helping her partner set everything up, she walked over to the microphone and gave a little grin to the audience. "Hello everyone, and thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to perform for you," Her voice was a delicate pitch, an octave between soprano and alto; too deep to be a little girl's but also too soft to be that of a matured lady. (1)

"That's Maka, the lead singer. There are three other girl's in this group but they aren't needed right now; this song just requires three," Blair murmured conspiratorially. When he glanced down at her he swore those yellow eyes were watching the younger girl with pure, unfaltering pride.

"Then why are there only two on stage?" Wes mumbled back, but Blair pressed a finger to her lips and released a soft hissing noise. She didn't even look up to acknowledge him when demanding his silence. He was a little peeved but he ignored it and turned his attention back to the stage.

"Our pianist recently left our group because of… Um, creative differences, so this song might not sound quite right at first. But, please, if you will," She said and her smile became more humble and welcoming, "please give us the chance to show you just how breathless we can leave you. Thank you." She bowed humbly before clearing her throat and taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes for a moment, counting in her head, before opening her mouth and letting out the first part of her song.

_13 horses swimming in the sea  
>Waiting for someone to find them.<br>Their ship is gone and now they are alone  
>With water everywhere around them.<em>

Wes blinked a few times; he could tell a little where the missing piano was supposed to be just by the fact the girl was singing alone with no back up. Her voice had a rich sound that, much like when she spoke, was a touch between the previously mentioned two pitches, and, unlike some singers, she stood a far enough distance from the microphone that there was no static sound yet projected enough that it sounded wonderful.

_The men were saved from the sinking ship  
>Right before it started to burn.<br>And while they're safe their loyal friends need help  
>Patiently waiting for their turn.<em>

"You said the lead singer's name was Maka, correct?" Wes asked softly, leaning in a little closer to the woman. A cheeky grin lit up her face at his clear interest. "What is her full name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Her full name is Maka Albarn," She mused lightly. She grinned brightly at how those crimson spheres widened a small bit at the mentioned name. The Albarn family was a pretty well-known family. They had started out as successful tailors until a few years ago when one member of their family, a young man by the name of Spirit Albarn, began training as a guardian. In D-City, guardians were skilled, strong individuals assigned to protect the successful families, such as the Evans family. After his successes, the Albarn clan was also awarded a nice plot of land to build a larger house upon and were given the title of baron or baroness to be passed along. "She is the only child of Baron Spirit Albarn, in case you were wondering."

_13 horses swimming in the sea  
>They don't even know it's pointless.<br>Their pride remains but this time it won't help.  
>They used to be so tall and suddenly they're small.<em>

The violin joined in now, starting out at a soft allegro that matched the somewhat elusive tempo set by Maka's vocals. The boy was using long, languid, deep strokes but was still managing to keep the sound muted and delicate. The compliment between vocals and violin was well set and rather spectacular given their age. Add on the fact they were missing a player and that just aided to the sense of wonder. "And the violinist? Who is he?"

_There's a couple waiting far behind.  
>Soon they will be out of sight.<br>But then who cares - they're dying anyway.  
>All of them are doomed this night.<em>

Blair grinned and relaxed, leaning her head on Wes's shoulder. She had been hoping a high roller would come in today; getting gigs for Maka and her group wasn't hard but it'd be nice to get them a bigger job. A bigger job meant bigger pay, which meant she could take her little girl's shopping! And if anyone needed to get better clothes, it was definitely her little Maka. "That's Kid; he's from the son of Marquis Death. He and Maka met because Baron Albarn is the captain of Marquis Death's guards and decided to start playing music together. I just agreed to get their gigs so they could improve and afford their equipment," She mused aloud. She decided not to mention that she wanted to use the money to buy new clothes; she felt it might make her team seem less humble or something.

_11 horses swimming in the sea.  
>The sea they thought was just a river.<br>They're used to this it's probably just a race.  
>That helps to ease their minds but where's the finish line?<em>

'_He's pretty good with that violin. And the style of the song they picked works well for both their techniques,'_ Wes thought. He wasn't too surprised that the son of Marquis Death was a talented young man; the Marquis himself was rumored to play the clarinet and the bassoon in his times of private leisure. He could, however, tell that there had to be at least one thing that would make it hard for him to convince his mother to accept this group, should he choose to present them for Soul at the party this evening. "And what about the other members of this group? What are they like?"

Blair twitched a bit, a sense of dread tugging at her senses. She could try to lie her way through this next part, but this young man was clever; the first whiff of fishy business and he'd be heading for the door. "Oh, they're fine young ladies, the other three. I'll introduce you to everyone after the show, if you'd like," She offered. Perhaps that would distract him well enough for her.

"That's all good and proper, but I would like to know the heritage of those three young ladies as well," He said bluntly. Well, there went Plan A in Blair's Big Book of Ways to Assure Success.

_The night grows dark, the body wants to rest.  
>It hurts to breathe and still they do their best.<br>They want to live no matter for how long.  
>Their thoughts all disappeared 'cause now they're really scared.<em>

"Will their heritage directly effect the conclusion you're inching toward on whether or not you want to hire my group or not?" She asked point-blank. There was no point beating around the bush now, the way she saw it; she was going to have to be honest and just let him roll with the information as he wished at this point.

"That depends on a few things," Wes responded calmly. She raised an eyebrow and leaned up a bit more, forcing him to tear his gaze from the stage to her.

"What few things?" She asked suspiciously.

"Does this group's sound vary in moods, genres and styles? And can those other three girls act like ladies born and bred in high society?" The way Wes saw it, a little bit of lower class performers may add to the spice of the sound. Not only that, but he knew that Soul liked things that broke away from the norm, even if only by a little bit. Wes would simply have to worm the idea into his mother's heart; and, should Soul agree to working with them, that would help his case as well.

_7 horses struggling in the sea.  
>Waiting for someone to find them.<br>They don't look back 'cause what's the point of that?  
>There is only death behind them.<em>

"Oh, but of course! They may be orphans working in the Marquis Death abode, but they are as sophisticated as the highest of ladies in society!" Blair beamed happily. Okay, so she was pushing the truth a little bit. Tsubaki was a humble, gentle soul who was also polite and careful with how she worded things, which meant she'd be able to skate past pretty well at high class get-togethers. Liz was a shopaholic and a little bit of a whiner at times, but she knew how to charm the pants off anyone and also knew how to stand for her opinion without seeming to harsh or rude. She would be able to skate by, like Tsubaki, but only by the skin of her teeth. And Patty… Blair bit the inside of her lip to hold back a groan or sigh.

_They cry for help but help will never come.  
>They don't know where to swim or what they're swimming from.<br>They try to swim some more when panic starts to spread.  
>They're swimming in to shore but only in their heads.<em>

It appeared that the fates were smiling upon Wes for selflessly sacrificing his day to fulfill his mother's request. As long as they could pass as high society women he could bluff through the rest of it. He could just say that they were studying abroad or something noble like that. Yes, he knew his mother would like the ring of that. And then, he'd just make sure to let Soul know the truth. Soul would, after all, know better than to snitch the truth to their parents.

_The 3 last horses dying in the sea  
>Shouting out their cries for no one.<br>They're born to win, they're screaming in their hearts.  
>The strength of thousand men.<br>They're fighting to the end._

Blair briefly looked at Maka and Kid on stage; they were certainly doing well, considering they had lost their pianist. The song still sounded magnificent and she noticed that everyone's attention was turned to the pair. She waited another moment, watching how Maka's eyes shimmered a bit with tears as she neared the end of the song, before looking up and batting her lashes playfully at the young Dukedom heir. "So, would you like to meet them after the show?"

_The sun is out, birds are everywhere.  
>They're flying high, surfing in the air.<br>It's nice to live when life is such a blast.  
>One horse still swims it seems to be the last.<em>

"Yes," Wes states simply and turns his attention back to the stage. He perks up when he sees a few tears drip down the girl's cheeks, though her voice does not tremble or quiver with it. He suddenly looks around and spots many others in the audience getting misty-eyed or crying as well; the most interesting being a burly man covered in tattoos who has burrowed his face into his petite lady friend's shoulder while he wails and shakes with sobs.

It appears he wasn't paying much attention to the lyrics of the song; more focused on the sound, flow and words between he and Blair.

_The thirteenth horse has always been the best.  
>His owner will be proud but now he wants to rest.<br>He's longing for his home.  
>The girl will give him food.<br>"Good boy" – she'll say; together they will play._

'_You've done wonderfully, my little kittens~!'_ Blair cheered in her head. Her eyes bubbled over with pride and joy toward the pair on stage. Their song was almost over and soon she'd get to talk to them and let them know what was going on. _'He may not have specified what exactly he needs you all for, but it must be good! And he's clearly decided on this because of your skill, so he'll definitely be even more blown away once he hears you all together!... I just hope that Chrona leaving won't hinder the whole ensemble too much…'_ She thought, forcing herself to try and remain optimistic, even when faced with such a worrisome matter.

_13 horses swimming in the sea  
>Soon they will be gone forever.<br>And while they swim,  
>One thing still remains.<br>And that's the hope that never dies.  
>It never dies.<br>It never dies. (2)_

After the last few notes of the song and Maka's voice disappeared from the air the young girl quickly scrubbed at her eyes with her long sleeve. She then looked at the audience with an embarrassed little grin; it was, to some degree, a humble gesture in Wes's opinion. "Sorry if that song was a little depressing, we just wanted to tell an interesting story that we felt everyone could relate to," She said into the microphone. She then bowed again. "Thank you again for letting us play for you. Please enjoy the rest of your evenings, and we hope to see you again soon."

And with that, she and her associate gathered their things and left to the thunderous applause they received.

…

"Pum-Pum-Pumpkins~! Quickly, quickly, come to Blair! She has some wonderful news~!" Blair cheered as she rushed into the back room of the pub where her ensemble was relaxing. Maka and Kid, who were both just sitting down, glanced up curiously at her. Maka had a bottle of water in one hand and the unscrewed cap in the other. Kid was sitting in a chair with his violin case open in his lap, using a plush yellow clothe to polish the fine wood and remove any rosin (3) residue.

The other three ladies were also strewn about the room, doing various things. Tsubaki was seated next to Maka on a small couch in the room, holding a binder and indicating something with one finger. She was probably discussing some wording in a song that didn't make sense or flow right; despite her amazing voice, Maka was actually completely brain-dead in regards to comprehending music. Liz was seated at a mahogany vanity in the room with a compact mirror, blush and powder puff on the bottom portion, in one hand and a pair of tweezers in the other. She had one freshly plucked eyebrow raised at the lavender haired woman as she watched her in the mirror. And Patty… Well, she had taken a box of crayons to her sheet music and found a way to mold it into a giant giraffe, which she was wrestling with. She didn't even stop her imaginary scuffle at their manager's entrance and, since they were all looking at her otherwise, Blair took the chance to glance over at the three girls who hadn't yet performed for Wes.

Tsubaki was a charming, pale little thing. She was gifted with a rather well-developed chest and her hips had a nice curve to them. She wasn't as stacked as Blair was, but she was most likely going to head more that way in two or three years; she was only sixteen right now, after all. Her inky black hair was always tied off in a long, flowing black ponytail that helped make her pale skin and deep cobalt spheres stand out more. She was currently wearing a white cotton dress with a little rose pin on the left side lapel. There was basic white lace on the edge of the skirt and a red sash was tied off in a bow around her slim waist, hoping to help the dress seem a little less plain.

Liz was the next one put under Blair's scrutiny. Liz had dirty blonde hair that trailed to about the middle of her back and, at the moment, it was left to just tickle the expanse of space below her shoulder blades.. Like Tsubaki, Liz had dark azure eyes that were currently glowing a little lighter with slight annoyance. She was wearing a short sleeved blouse the color of a fresh plum with all the buttons done up, hiding the ample cleavage that the cat-like woman knew was there. The blouse was tucked into a black satin skirt that reached to her knees; another pity, because the young girl had very nice legs that she should show off more. In her outfit, Liz looked more like she was going to be teaching a class or attending an important board meeting than performing for a crowd.

Patty was the last person that Blair set her sights on; more because she had been hoping the hyperactive child would calm down a little more and sense the seriousness of the current situation. She hadn't been holding her breathe and wasn't gifted with a tame lady. Patty behaved like the youngest member in the group, being Liz's younger twin sister and most likely coddled a bit by the other, but was certainly growing into a young woman. She was wearing an outfit that matched her sisters perfectly (most likely because of Kid's insisting, really,) but her skirt was hitched up to her hips and her tiger print panties were on clear display as her paper giraffe tumbled apart with her on top. Her hair, the color just a touch lighter than Liz's and a touch darker than Maka's, was cut in a short bob that went just a little past her ears. Her eyes were blue like her sisters but were significantly lighter, resembling a robin's egg, and were currently overflowing with mirth as she giggled like a child at the ruined papers beneath her.

"Patty! Pull your skirt down this instance! It's indecent!" Kid suddenly declared, glaring at the young woman with his left eye twitching slightly. The girl looked over her shoulder at him for a moment before laughing loudly.

"Aw! No fun, no fun!" She giggled, falling onto her back and closing her eyes gleefully. She pointed one hand toward Kid without looking. "Kid is no fun! No fun!"

"Patty, would you come over her and let me fix you up again, please? You look like you got put through a friggin' wood chipper!" Liz hissed lightly, turning her attention from her reflection.

"Oh, Blair, what was this big news you mentioned? Tsubaki asked, as if suddenly remembering the woman had come in seeming rather proud of herself.

"Well, I have booked you all a meeting with Wes Evans in a few minutes~!" Blair purred finally, giggling at the shocked expressions on all the teen's faces (aside for Patty, who was still a laughing mass in the corner). She held up on finger and winked lightly. "So we need to discuss what the terms you want for this agreement. He didn't specify what, but I assume they need entertainers for an upcoming party at their place. Clearly we want to be paid well, but is there anything else? Like specific foods or beverages?" Blair asked.

"Shouldn't we wait and see what exactly he wants before making demands?" Maka asked calmly, relaxing into the back of the couch. All eyes shifted to her and she sighed, deciding to explain a little more. "Well, if we make demands we might lose the gig. We should see what exactly they want from us before asking for anything other than basic currency for a performance."

"Maka is quite right," Kid agreed, nodding a bit and turning to Blair. The older woman blinked a few times at him, tilting her head. "Give us about ten minutes to get Patty presentable again and then bring him in. After that, leave the negotiations to Maka and myself; we know what you'll want for your cut and can assure we get that as well."

"Leave it to me, my little pumpkins~!" She gushed before twirling and exited as abruptly as she had come.

"Now then," Death trailed as he turned to Patty, "get over here and let us get you together! Liz and I know exactly what to do to make you look perfect!" He said sternly, closing his violin case and setting it down. He and Liz stood at the same time, heading toward the fun-loving female on the floor.

While a chase started up between the trio, Tsubaki turned to Maka with a small smile.

"This is really exciting, isn't it?" She asked happily. Maka and Tsubaki had known each other for roughly six years now. When they were younger, Tsubaki was teased a lot because she was an immigrant with no family. One day, while doing some shopping for the chef in the Death household, she was getting bullied pretty badly. Maka, who had been hiding out in a tree above the little scuffle, had decided to act out; she dropped her heavy leather-bound novel on the head of the ring leader. The group dispersed and ever since Maka had been helping the other girl build her self-confidence. Even now, their relationship was a mutual one filled with peace. The two could sit together in silence, one with a book and the other with her thoughts, and still enjoy that serene companionship.

Jade orbs softened and brightened at the other female. "I certainly think so. Not much is known about the Evans Dukedom other than the general information," She pointed out. Not just a book worm, Maka was a history buff who loved delving into pasts and meanings of various things. She had read up on basically every last family in D-City; the only one to elude her was the Evans. The family clearly liked their privacy and, though Maka wasn't normally the kind to nose around in someone else's business, she knew that insider information on them could turn a rather impressive profit.

For a hopeful writer like Maka, that sort of insider information could be the key to turn the lock of success.

"I agree. I just hope that he doesn't want us for anything too difficult. Like, I hope they don't want us to sing specific songs that members of their family wrote," Maka stated, beginning to get a whirly sensation in her tummy known as butterflies. Dear God, that would be the most terrifying in the world! "I wouldn't want to run the risk of butchering it."

"You're wonderful, Maka! There is no where you could make any song sound bad!" Tsubaki reinforced quickly, clasping the other's girls hands. She gave a light squeeze and a small, reassuring smile. The other girl couldn't help but smile and squeeze back; her best friend had a contagious smile.

The two girls jolted back up when they heard scuffling just outside of the door. "They are very excited to meet you, nyah~! So, what exactly was this proposition you wanted to offer?" Blair quizzed merrily. Kid and Liz's eyes widened and they moved even quicker into action. They dragged the squealing blonde into the vanity chair and Liz set to a quick touch-up using a comb and come hair spray she had swindled from the table top. While she did that, Kid had managed to tug Patty's skirt back down to its proper location. He then quickly knelt down and reclosed the lock on the side of her left black heeled sandal.

"There! Her clothes are in perfect order again!" He said before running back to his previous perch, nearly tripping over his violin case. He sat, swept the instrument back into his lap, reopened it and resumed polishing it.

"And now we're done! Now, Pat, just sit still and behave and I promise I'll give you a special treat after dinner tonight!" Liz said hurriedly, frantically trying to reorganize the vanity. Patty merely giggled in agreement to the verbal contract. Liz finished her task and leaned against the vanity just as the door knob began to twist.

"I think I'll wait until we get inside to explain; why say the same thing twice?" They heard a young man's voice answer smoothly. And, finally, the door creaked open and in entered the two older individuals.

Wes examined all five of the individuals that made up the ensemble. He recognized the vocalist and violinist from on the stage moments before, and the other three looked like they'd be able to pass through with his lies; all attractive, all quiet and apparently patient. "So, which one of you is the leader of this group?" He asked finally.

"Maka and I share what could be considered the role of leader," Kid, as he recalled the violist being called by Blair, said calmly. He was watching Wes with acute interest, gold orbs glinting with his analysis. Wes was used to being sized up and remained rooted to his spot, hoping that would aid in hurrying this along. "However, we believe in a democratic system in our group; if Elizabeth, Patricia and Tsubaki do not feel comfortable with an offered deal we are liable to change our minds or our requests."

The young Evans heir made a mental note of how the two blonde girl's grimaced slightly at their full names; he assumed they deemed nicknames within the group to assure communications and relations were strong. "I see. Well, shall we get right down to business then?" He asked, a small smile coming to his lips. Blair quickly indicated a chair against the wall next to the two girl's on the couch. "Thank you." He said calmly, getting comfortable before turning his eyes on the group. "I noticed that you are minus a pianist."

"Yes," Maka said softly. Her hands tightened around Tsubaki's and she looked down, eyes darkening with bitter emotions. The other girl sent a slightly worried glance her way. "We had a few… Creative differences with our previous pianist. We went our separate ways just the night before last." Wes noticed that at these words the blonde with the shorter hair's smile faltered, her right hand twitching toward her left briefly, and the blonde next to her let out an almost inaudible growl, hands clenched at her sides. Another interesting reaction he'd add to his list for later.

"Well, I happen to know a pianist who'd be more than willing to join your ensemble after meeting you," He said with a bright smile. Six heads snapped toward him, six pairs of eyes wide with shock and intrigue. "M younger brother, Soul, can play the piano beautifully. We're hosting a celebration this evening; if you're all willing to play this evening, we can do proper introductions after the evening starts to die down."

'_There is no such thing as getting something for free, Maka,'_ A voice in her head snapped. The voice was feminine, deep, and a little harsher than expected for such words. The young girl recognized it as her mother, Kami Albarn, from before she was claimed by illness and passed away. _'People only look out for their own interests; therefore, make sure to get your uses from them if they want something from you as well.'_

"And what exactly will we get out of taking him into our group?" She asked bluntly, her eyes stern and focused on the silver haired male before her. Blair looked like she was about to pounce at the younger girl, Patty was fighting back giggles, Liz looked confused, Kid looked about ready to roll over and die, and Tsubaki looked somewhat stunned. Wes remained calm, meeting her gaze with just as much composure. "I'm not stupid, Evans, and I don't care for gossip. I have, however, heard little nuggets of information in regards to your brother. And I can assure you that none of it is good. So what is our motivation for letting a talented delinquent into our ensemble?"

"You're a rather devious, clever girl, aren't you?" Wes asked with a small chuckle. He had a suspicion that, should his plans all work out, this girl and his brother were going to have fun getting to know one another. "Well, what would you like from my family?"

"You will pay us for our show this evening before we arrive; we need to get properly prepared and require a good sum each in order to do so," She said, jumping to the chase before Blair or Kid could jump in. They would both want the basics, maybe even a little extra of this or that; Maka had one chance to get what she needed. And she had been raised to take advantage of every offered opportunity. "Also, we'll be permitted to dine on whatever meal you provide for your guests. After that, should we take your brother on as our pianist, we'll have full access to your rehearsal rooms. And, on a final note, I will be given the rights to reside in your home for the next year and analyze your family life in a journal and on video cassettes."

Wes perked up and looked at her suspiciously. "And why would you want to stay with our family with those rights in specific?"

"To write a book about your family, of course," She answered back flatly. Blair jerked back with a small hiss, Death's eye began to twitch, Patty began to snort lightly, Liz looked ready to faint and Tsubaki was beginning to silently panic. "Publishers would kill for a book about your family. If I can offer them that than I'll be set as well; I can glorify your family even more and I can get my own ticket to fame."

"And if I say that I can agree to everything other than that last term?" Wes asked.

"Then you will have to take your generous offer somewhere else," Maka answered point blank. There was a tense silence and, briefly, Maka feared she may have pushed her boundaries and just screwed up royally.

When the foreign male began laughing, however, everyone relaxed just a touch. "Well aren't you a spunky, willful little thing? But I like that fire in you, so I'll have everything arranged for you. I'll find a way to convince my parents your writing will be a good idea and have things ready as soon as I can," He said as he stood. He smiled at Maka's awe-stricken expression. "I'll have one of our servants bring the money by in about an hour or two for you, so stay here and wait for it. The party will be this evening at eight o'clock so you'll have a good five hours to prepare. That should be more than enough time, correct?" He was answered with a vacant nod. "Excellent. I'll see you this evening." He said before walking out, shutting the door with a quiet click.

Once he left was gone the following occurred; Liz fainted, Patty burst out laughing, Tsubaki fell back against the couch with a groan, and the team of Blair and Kid had launched themselves at Maka, questioning the young girl if she had gone completely daft. Maka was too stunned her plan had actually worked to respond to the cries of her manager and friend.

…

To say that Soul Eater Evans was disgruntled would be an understatement; he was livid, but he was simply keeping it all locked up inside. Currently dolled up in an all black tuxedo with a red bow (to add a small splash of color, as his mother had put it), he was fixing his hair so that it remained in its usual spikes. Using a wet towel, he was scrubbing out as much of the hair dye his stylist had put in as he could. Only nerds wore their hair slicked back and tidy.

And Soul was anything except uncool.

The door creaked open and in poked his older brother's head, causing him to halt his actions and just stare at him. "It's easier to wet a comb and then re-style it," Wes said with a small grin. Soul blinked and nodded, looking away quickly.

"Thanks, I'll try it," He grumbled lightly, tugging the towel off of his head and tossing it to the side carelessly. He waited, hoping for the door to shut again, but when it didn't he sighed. "Did you have a question or something?" He asked, a small bit of annoyance creeping into his voice. He winced a bit at his tone but didn't apologize for it.

"Actually, I wanted to be there when you heard out band for the evening. I found them myself and thought you might be… Interested. They're actually looking for a pianist right now," The older sibling said with a casually, watching his brother curiously. Soul twitched a bit and then glanced at him,a thin layer of curiosity in his eyes.

"Mom and Dad let you pick the band? Normally they always hire that brass ensemble," He commented. Soul cast a quick glance in the mirror and, seeing that his hair was perfect, headed to the door to meet his brother. They started out toward the grand ballroom, where all the festivities were taking place, together.

"The brass band is still here but they aren't the main event; they're just back-up in case the smaller ensemble I got needs them,"

"Huh; normally Mom and Dad never want to let new groups perform," Soul said as they walked into the ballroom. The lights were on high, causing the all white walls to blend together. There were splashes of colors in the form of the tablecloths and floral baskets. Other than that, the only color came from the gowns of the ladies in attendance. Soul glanced over and saw the brass band set up on rafters behind the main stage. On stage was the group his brother had gotten.

One girl, who was setting up what appeared to be a set of large bells, had long black hair tied up in a large loop behind her head. Her eyes were a deep cerulean that were currently sparkling with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Soul smirked a bit at the sleeveless pink gown she was wearing; it was rather simple without any jewelling but it was long and had a slit on either side, showing off her legs and the matching pink heels she was wearing.

The next figure he saw was the only male on the stage; a strange guy with mostly black hair but three strange white stripes on the left side. He had bright yellow eyes that were currently glinting with annoyance on two other females in the group. He wore a tuxedo like every other male present. The two girls he was apparently nagging caught Souls attention next.

They were both blonde with blue eyes; one had darker hair and darker eyes while the other had lighter hair and lighter eyes. He assumed they were probably related somehow. They were put in matching dresses in a shade of cardinal red. What he found strange was that both dresses were strapless and both were wearing long sleeved jackets so that their arms and shoulders were covered, yet there was still some cleavage revealed. When the lighter haired girl three one arm up in the air, the young musician could have sworn he saw a touch of white underneath. But from what? He shook the thought away and shifted his gaze to finish checking them out. Their dresses were just centimeters above the ground but he saw the slightly hint of red open toed shoes.

He finally looked over at the singer, who was setting up the microphone to match her height. Her hair was an ashy blonde that was teased and curled lightly, dripping over her shoulder just by a few inches. Her eyes were a sharp viridian hue that were currently blank of emotion, her eyes trained on the task at hand. Her dress was a spaghetti strap in a tint of write that reached to about her knees. There was a floral pattern along it, however, that resembled crawling vines and the occasional blossoming flower in a green a shade lighter than her eyes. It was all finished off with a pair of white heels that wrapped up along her ankle with buckles and straps.

'_They seem like they might be decent,'_ He thought as he walked over to his brother. Wes was currently talking a rather busty woman in an all black dress that hugged her tightly like a glove. She also had a black feather boa wrapped around her neck and shoulders. "You make a new friend?" Soul asked as he walked over.

Wes perked up. He had just been asking Blair why she was wearing the same dress as before except with the addition of the boa when Soul approached. "Actually, Soul, this is Blair. She's the manager of the group I mentioned," He said politely.

Blair squealed and grabbed Soul in a tight embrace, his face landing right in her bountiful chest. "What a little cutie~! I like him already~!" Blair gushed happily, not noticing how a sticky red liquid was now pouring from the young male's nose. "Make sure to listen to my group with your full attention, okay, Soul-Kun?" She asked while releasing him, leaning in and kissing his cheek lightly.

The young man could only nod frantically. Wes released a small sigh and pulled a small handkerchief from the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket. "Brother, here; wipe your nose before Mother or Father see," He said softly, pressing the fabric into Soul's fingers.

Soul blushed and quickly wiped at his nose while Blair giggled lightly at him. "Thanks," He stated softly. There was a small tap on the microphone, causing them all to look up at the young girl. She smiled back lightly at them.

"Hello, everybody, and thank you for allowing us to perform for you tonight," She said cheerfully. She then indicated herself with one hand. "My name is Maka Albarn and this is Kid." She said, indicating the black haired boy. "The two blondes are Liz and Patty, and the dark-haired girl is Tsubaki. We all hope you enjoy your evening." She said before stepping back a bit. Kid turned toward the brass band and cued them as the music began. Tsubaki, who was now holding a black guitar or bass, began playing as well.

_My name is love, I'm your announcer.  
>You bring the heart, I'll bring the answers.<br>I need a few good men and women on my team._

"Hmm. Pretty good," Soul said softly. Blair grinned a little bit to herself. This was going good, right? She had told Maka and the others to pick more upbeat, cheery music for the party. Although Maka liked to sing softer songs with darker, depressing meanings she could still do perkier; considering they weren't being booed of the stage provided Blair with that much.

_My name is love, your friendly partner.  
>I'm on alert cause my work's getting harder.<br>I need a few good people to rebuild my dream, you see._

Wes swallowed hard. Sure, Soul had dished out a small compliment but he could see his brother was getting bored. The glint that was once in his ruby eyes was fading fast, his interest diminishing. He was going to have to get his brother invested again. "So, Blair was telling me that everyone can play at least one other instrument aside from the singer," Wes said gently.

"Really? And what's the singer's deal?" Soul asked, keeping his gaze trapped on him.

_These are uneasy times.  
>Good friends are hard to find<br>In this life, that we live.  
>Reach out and lend your help.<br>Sit back, ask yourself  
>Without me, what are you?<br>Tell me what's the world coming to?  
>We've got a lot of work to do.<br>We've got a lot of work to do._

"She's Maka Albarn, the daughter of Baron Spirit Albarn," Wes said calmly. He explained who the other members of the group were, claiming that Liz and Patty were the daughters of a successful American entrepreneur and that Tsubaki was the daughter of a powerful soldier in Japan. Soul seemed far more interested in the girl singing, simply nodding every now and again. _'Well, at least he's interested to some degree.'_ Wes thought in a content tone.

"That girl, she doesn't have much going for her does she?" Soul asked flatly. Both older figures flinched and looked at him in slight surprise. Blair fiddled with her boa and Wes shifted a bit to lean on one side.

"What exactly do you mean?" Blair asked politely, forcing a smile on her face. Her stomach was doing nervous little flip-flops as fear and dread filled her up.

_Woah woah woah  
>Oh oh yeah, yeah.<em>

"I mean that she has no physical definitions," Soul said bluntly. He looked at Blair and then turned to his brother, jerking a thumb toward the stage. "She has no tits, has no ass and her face isn't particularly womanly either. She's got all the sex appeal of a tree stump that was just yanked from the ground. And that's just as far as her appearance goes; I don't even know what her personality is like. Sure, she can carry a note but what else is there? Is there anything that's particularly intriguing about her?"

_My name is love, I'm here to tell you  
>The price of hate's getting way too familiar.<br>We need to stop it now before it's gone too far._

'_How dare you sat that my little Maka doesn't have sex appeal?'_ Blair screeched inside. Four years ago, when Kami Albarn had passed away, Blair had promised to watch after the older woman's precious daughter as if she was her own. Although they sometimes had disagreements, the indigo haired woman sincerely loved the young girl like a little sister. And she also knew that the poor singer had severe insecurities in regards to how she looked physical due to taunts from neighborhood boys.

"Soul, she comes from a rather well-known family. That's a good thing, given what family we belong to ourselves," Wes tried to reason, his red orbs twitching a bit in concern. Soul couldn't just blow up all of his plans like this, could he? Didn't Soul realize how things would get if he didn't just accept this offer his brother was trying to give him?

_You know my name, you know the mission  
>So don't delay cause I crave your assistance.<br>We gotta go start mending all the broken hearts, woah, woah oh._

"And that's all good and dandy for impressing Mother, Father and their socialite friends but that won't do anything for me. So what if she's got a cool dad? If she herself doesn't have anything interesting to add to the mix then I'm not gonna waste my time," Soul said calmly. He turned and looked over toward the waiter circuiting with glasses of juice. All this boring talk was leaving him rather parched. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go g-"

"Maka does have another talent!" Blair suddenly chimed in, causing Soul to pause and look at her over her shoulder. He was scowling with his eyes narrowed in a slight pout; rather cute, but she forced herself to ignore it. She was going to save this almost botched agreement if it was the last thing she did.

_These are uneasy times.  
>Good friends are hard to find<br>In this life, that we live.  
>Reach out and lend your help.<br>Sit back, ask yourself  
>Without me, what are you?<br>Tell me what's the world coming to?  
>We've got a lot of work to do.<br>We've got a lot of work to do._

"And what would that be?" Soul asked flatly, turning fully to face the purple haired woman. Her yellow eyes glinted and a small smirk turned up her lips, making her seem evil. Soul just barely resisted the urge to visibly cringe.

"Maka sings beautifully, but she can't read a single note to save her life," Blair said cheekily. She then shifted her boa by rolling one shoulder. "For some reason, something in her brain keeps her from really comprehending sheet music. She has to feel the notes and sense the beats; without back-beat she can just barely carry a tune in a bucket."

Soul blinked a bit then smirked. "Now that's cool."

_My name is love, I'm your announcer.  
>You bring the heart, I'll bring the answers.<br>I need a few good men and women on my team. (4)_

"So will you give it a chance, Soul?" Wes asked, hiding his anxiety and nervousness.

"Sure, I'll meet them. But they also have to receive the Black*Star seal of approval," He snickered smugly. Wes flinched a bit while Blair blinked, clearly baffled.

"Mew~? Whose Black*Star, Wes-Kun?" She asked innocently. Just then, a window shattered, sprinkling glass everywhere as boisterous laughter erupted into the room.

"Ha ha! You're all lucky that I, Black*Star, have the senses of a God! I'm such a big man, you don't even have to send me an invite to a party like this!"

"That," Wes sighed heavily, feeling a migraine beginning to come on, "is Black*Star, Miss Blair."

End

(1) - The dress Maka wears at the pub is actually the dress she wears when she's portrayed as a child when conversing with Chrona's soul. I went by the anime model, since it was in color.

(2) - The first song Maka sings is called _13 Horses_ by Alexander Rybak; I will be using a lot of music by this singer, although I will have to change a few words every now and then to have the correct gender implications. Also, I will take suggestions for music and have varying genres. If you have a suggestion, do not be halted by gender; I don't care if the original singer is male or female.

(3) - Didn't know how many would know this, but rosin is a substance made from sap that is used to make sure the bow of a string instrument will stick to the strings and produce a sound.

(4) - The second song Maka sings is _My Name is Love_ by Amy Diamond. It has a piano accompaniment, but it's a little harder to hear with the brass in the song so I figured this would be a good choice since the group means to impress Soul at least a little bit. If the piano part isn't so glaringly obvious, he'd see they're good without the piano already.

Ah, it's been a while, FF. First, this chapter is NOT the average length for a chapter from me; cut this in half in regards to word count and that's my average. Also, I blame the lyrics too. Anyway, I am back with my first story for a new fandom. I have a poll and a small explanation of my current plans in regards to stories that I'd be grateful if anyone who reads this takes the time to read that and respond to the poll. I hope you enjoy this; feel free to give me feedback. And, yes, I know, a lot of the characters were probably at least a little OOC; I'll try to improve upon that in the following chapters.

Next chapter:

Soul learns about a magical, horrifying thing called a Maka Chop. Maka learns that her hate of men is all the more rational; talking to her dead mother's ghost, however, is not so much. And Black*Star… Well, that kid just needs a high dose of Ritalin


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, to answer the shades of green question; I'm not actually too sure about what era this takes place myself (Laughs nervously). I guess it's a sort of mixed up universe that follows older customs but has a more modern side in regards to technology, schools and the like.

Chapter Two

Maka was just a little more than pissed, really; she was absolutely **livid**. Who did this stupid blue-haired punk think he was to come bursting through a window and completely ruin her preparation to introduce her next song? She forced herself to take a breath and then, with a calm smile on her lips, she leaned toward the microphone. "Pardon me, please… Black*Star, was it? We are trying to perform here. Would you mind terribly staying quite so that we can be heard?" She asked happily, making sure to keep her tone light and polite.

The young man turned toward her suddenly with a surprised expression. Maka assessed him as a blue-haired freak show. His hair was blue, **first off**, and its spikes seemed to defy gravity a little too much for her logical brain to relax. He was currently wearing a sleeveless black tank top with a high collar and poofy white pants. On his shoulder was a scar or birthmark in the perfect shape of a star; the skin tone there was a bit lighter than the rest of his lightly tanned skin, hence her ability to notice it. His pitch black eyes narrowed at Maka a little bit. "Are you crazy? These people didn't come here for you; they came here to see the biggest star of them all!" He declared before laughing again. Maka twitched slightly and Tsubaki, fearful of where this was going, approached the other girl.

Soul observed the whole display in well-concealed bemusement.

"Maka, just ignore him," Tsubaki said quietly. She and Black*Star locked eyes for a moment before the raven haired woman became a little flustered. "I mean, we shouldn't start a fight with him. If he's got a connection of some sort to the Evans family, fighting with him could just mess up that deal we made."

The smaller girl huffed but nodded solemnly. Maka hated it when logic and reasoning were used against her but Tsubaki did have a point. They may never get a chance as great as this and, in reality, Maka did not to be the one to mess everything up. It wouldn't be fair to let her own emotions get the better of her. "Anyway, our next song is called-" However, unlike Maka, Black*Star didn't seem quite ready to let this little bout go.

"Don't just ignore me!" The blue haired male snapped while darting over. He jumped on to the stage and shoved Maka over, causing her to land roughly on her left shoulder and drop the microphone. Using the toe of his boot, he kicked the mic up and caught it, his grin growing wider. Kid knelt down to help Maka up. "All of you here, you know you've come to bask in my greatness! This band is nothing with their wimpy little tinny-tit singer! What they need is a real voice like mine!" He laughed merrily into the mic, his free hand falling to his hips.

"Oh dear, oh dear," Blair began whimpering, shifting uncomfortably in her place. Both Evans siblings turned toward her, one concerned and the other confused.

"What's the matter with you? Do you need to use the toilet or something?" Soul asked bluntly. Wes shot him a withering look. "What? You make it seem like chicks never have to go to the pot or something!" He retorted quickly. He was answered by rolling eyes and his brother turning to the young manager.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Blair?" He asked worriedly. The other had paled a little as well. She slowly turned her eyes toward him, shaking a bit. Both Evans brothers jolted up slightly at this; what could be disturbing the young cat-fan so terribly?

"Maka… She's going to… She's going to-!"

Suddenly they heard a small gasping sound come from the stage, earning every one individual in the room's attention. Maka stood back up, a blank expression on her face, eyes trained on Black*Star. "Maka," She drawled suddenly, her name coming out in a slow hum-like tone. It was almost like she was saying her own name like a taunt in battle. Then, her eyes glinted with pure malice as one of her hands snapped from behind her back with a large leather-bound book. "**Chop**!" She snapped loudly, the spine of the book colliding with the loud male's head. There was a sharp cry from the male before his body tumbled over the stage and hit the floor with a loud thump.

"Oh, Maka, why? **Why** did you unleash the Maka-Chop?" Blair whimpered softly, worrying her lower lip between her teeth lightly. Everything was ruined! No one would want to work with a violent little girl like Maka; not an aristocrat like a member of the Evans family!

When she heard soft chortles of laughing coming from the younger male, however, her yellow eyes shifted to him.

"Where did she even **get** that book from? Okay, it's official; I'll work with them! We can start whenever they're ready!" Soul laughed lightly, his arms coming to wrap around his midriff a bit. Oh man, that girl was a riot! No one had ever hit Black*Star that hard; sure, he and the other male had their bouts of manly wrestling matches every now and then but never had they knocked one another out. And, in all honestly, Soul never expected "The Great Black*Star" to get his clock cleaned by a sixteen year old **girl** who could probably pass for **twelve**.

Blair, however, beamed like the sun as it rose. "Excellent! I'll have Maka pack her things tonight and we'll move her in bright and early tomorrow!" Soul's smile and laughter died down suddenly, his gaze shifting between his brother and the busty woman. Wes had tensed visibly.

"What, exactly, do you mean by that?" He asked. And right then, Wes realized that nothing was going to be easy anymore; not with this group, his brother, and that dolt Black*Star involved, anyway.

…

"Soul, please, just try to make the best of this!" Wes snapped as he followed his younger sibling down the hall to his bedroom. Never before had he seen a look of such hatred and betrayal cross Soul's face as the one that did when he revealed the deal he reached with Maka and her ensemble. "Soul, would you stop and listen to reason?" He called again. He was a few paces behind and finally Soul stopped his stomping march to turn and face him. His eyes gleamed like rubies under a lamp.

"You had to bribe them into taking me in to their group! What else is there to discuss, Wes?" He bit out bitterly. Wes winced a bit before his own fists clenched in anger. Who was Soul to criticize the means he'd been forced to take on his brother's behalf?

"Well I didn't have many other options at this point! You run around town with that little delinquent Black*Star like you don't have a care in the world and you know what? I'm done humoring you! People talk, Soul, and it was hard enough to convince this group to take you under their wing!" Wes barked out, glaring right back at his brother. The usual calm and collected mask was gone, letting free his inner fury. He saw his other brother's face fall to horror and an even deeper betrayal at his words but he was done; puppy dogs would not save Soul from a scolding. Not this time. "All your life everything has been handed to you! It's made you stupid, selfish and ignorant! Maybe working with a group of people who aren't as well-off as you, who also don't particularly care if you like them or not, will do you some good!"

There was a small silence after that, in which Wes was catching his breath and regaining his head. It was shattered by a nearby door creaking open, causing both boys to turn toward the intruder.

Maka Albarn's head peered around the corner of the door and spotted the pair, looking a little uneasy. "Hello. Uh, if you two wouldn't mind, may I speak to the younger Mister Evans alone please?" She asked in a polite yet nervous tone. Wes took in a breath and nodded, heading to the door Maka had entered through. He paused, his back to Soul and his hand on the edge of the door.

"I'm offering you a big slice of humble pie, Soul; try not to choke on it," He said, his tone icy, before he walked out and left the two teens with the echoes of a slammed door. Maka winced a bit and turned toward Soul, who seemed shaken but was quickly slipping on a mask of indifference. His eyes, hard and unyielding, shifted toward her.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly. Maka remained calm and approached him, holding her hand out once she got closer to him. He looked down with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I'd like to properly introduce myself," She answered calmly. He kept his skeptical look while she glared a bit at him, a small scowl twisting on her lips. "Look, I know this whole deal bugs you. To some degree, it bugs me too; however, we need one another in order to be successful. You can use me to help develop your already-keen talent and I can use you to get myself a name in modern day literature. Either way, it's a win-win for the both of us." She explained more bluntly.

He hadn't really thought of it that way; it didn't hurt that she had made an attempt at flattery, either. He smirked and took her hand in his own. "You really know how to play with people until they see your way of thinking, don't you?" He asked lightly.

Maka giggled and slowly shook their hands up and down. "I'm just a good talker, I guess," She hummed back. She looked at their hands for a moment before looking back at him, meet his crimson gaze. "Maka Albarn, singer and writer."

"Soul Eater Evans, pianist and all-around cool guy," He answered with that toothy smirk still plastered on. He then leaned back a little bit, taking his hand with him. He placed his hands in the pockets of his black slacks and eased back against the nearest wall. "So tell me, Miss Singer, what exactly should I expect from the rest of your crew?"

Maka leaned back against the wall next to him with her fingers laced together behind her back. She looked up toward the high ceiling of the corridor, snowy satin banners hanging and dipping from them elegantly. "Well, Death the Kid is our lead violinist. We just call him Kid, though; he's great with the violin, does a little background vocals, and can play the drums as well. Tsubaki is the dark haired girl, as I'm sure you remember from my little introduction earlier." She said, glancing at him sideways. He nodded his head a bit and she turned her attention back upward. "Tsubaki composes all the music and helps me write the lyrics; she's better at helping me find words that help things flow a little better. She can play the harp, the bass and will do harmonies with me when necessary. You following so far?"

"Yeah, I'm keeping up pretty well. Now the two blondes, what are they like?" Soul asked, making sure to keep the rest of the information stored away. Luckily enough, a cool guy like him always remembered important information.

"Well, Liz is the taller one with longer hair. She can play the guitar, the violin like Kid, and helps the rest of us decide what to wear. She's really good at doing make-up and styling hair, but she's even better when she plays violin with Kid; those two are like two links in a chain. And if you add Patty on the cello! Patty's the other blonde who was playing the chimes tonight. She can usually play the cello, as well as work the bells and chimes and other various background noises we need. Right now her arm is a little messed up so she can't play the cello; it hurts too much when she extends her arm to use her bow. And I think that's just about everything you need to know right now," Maka said while closing her eyes. She felt a little better knowing that she'd help to avoid a crisis; Blair had told her Soul hadn't taken the news of the deal well and suggested she use her powers of persuasion on the young man.

"Well, sounds like you have a pretty well-rounded group of performers," Soul commented while looking at Maka. She had a sort of child-like charm that he decided made her cute to most people; Soul, however, had a strong preference for a girl with a more mature face and shapely body. "And what about your old pianist? Why exactly did they decide to jump ship?"

Maka opened her eyes and met his gaze again, forcing her expression to seem indifferent. There was something, however, in her eyes that tugged at Soul's heart strings and made him almost regret asking her. The key word being **almost**. "Creative differences," She said finally, in a bland tone of voice. She turned her attention back to the ceiling now, deciding it was more interesting than the silver-haired boy next to her.

"Would you like to give me a little bit more than that?" Soul pressed with a deep scowl on his face. Maka flashed him a small grin, just a touch away from being a bit too much like a predator watching its prey for his liking.

"Maybe I will as things with the group get settled out; if I decide to trust you, and all of that," She stated with a small giggle, as if the whole thing was a joke to her. Soul scoffed at this and glared at the wall, a little peeved off at being brushed off like that. Who was she to say whether he deserved to know something or not?

And that thought sent Soul into wondering if perhaps his brother was just the tiniest bit right about his attitude. In all honesty, he knew that people always gossiped but he hadn't thought they'd talk about what he and Black*Star did in their free time. After all, the Evans family had a lot of connections and could punish a single soul who spoke out against them to the harshest degrees in their society. But then again, Wes said that it took a lot of effort to find a group that would work for him, so was it possible? Had he really gained such a bad reputation? He shook the bad thoughts away and shifted his attention back to business. "So what genres does your little group do?"

"We try to do a mix of everything, as long as it has a vocal part for me," Maka answered casually. She then looked around suddenly. "You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?" She asked.

Soul pressed the sleeve of his jacket up and peered at his watch curiously. "It's a quarter past ten. Why do you ask?" He responded, pressing his sleeve back down and looking at her. She huffed a little bit, eyes glinting with a small touch of annoyance.

"I promised my Papa that I'd be home before eleven; he's been really strict with my curfew lately. Plus I need to wake up early to start settling myself in here," She explained, pushing off the wall and unlacing her hands. She let them drop to her sides and looked toward the door, then back at Soul. "So I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"I guess so," He said casually, looking off to the side. He was plastering on an aloof expression which earned him a giggle from Maka. She found it somehow comical he was trying to put on a cool front.

"We'll start out with an easy song so that you have a chance to get a bit of a feel of everything during rehearsal tomorrow. I don't want us to break you on the first day," She said as she started to head toward the door.

"Wait, you mean we're having a rehearsal tomorrow? Where exactly is this going to take place? And when!" Soul demanded with a somewhat frantic yet equally annoyed expression. Maka glanced at him over the shoulder and giggled at him.

"We'll rehearse here after I get settled in; pianos are kinda hard to lug around and you'll probably feel better in a more familiar environment to start out. Be ready to hit the ground running," She mused lightly before disappearing behind the door. All she had to do now was rustle up the other four, head home, take a shower, and then get a good night's sleep to wake up and get packed for her temporary move.

Oh, and there was still the whole Having-to-Tell-Her-Papa-She-was-Leaving-for-X-Amount-of-Time thing to worry about too.

…

Maka sighed lightly as she stepped into her room, clad in an oversized black T-shirt and a pair of old black mesh gym shorts. She was still ruffling her hair into drying faster with a fluffy white towel, humming a new song the group had worked on two days ago. She wasn't quite sure if the key she was using at present would sound right with the musical accompaniment but decided to handle that situation when the time came; she wouldn't be able to figure it out on her own, anyway.

Upon yanking the towel from over her face, she was greeted by an older figure seated at her desk. Green orbs that glinted with a foggy film shimmered at her and a smile turned up on pale lips. Long hay colored locks that seemed a touch faded tumbled over the woman's back in a straight and long curtain. There, wearing a pair of tight jeans and a long sleeved pink top with a ruffled collar, was her mother, Kami Albarn. The **late** Kami Albarn, to be more precise.

"Good evening, Mother," Maka greeted levelly as she stood and headed over to the desk. She plucked her hairbrush from the desk top, walked back to the bed, flopped back down and began working on powering through the snares in her hair. Maka loved going to bed with wet hair (because it helped keep her cool and made it easier to sleep during the summer time heat) but hated having to deal with bed-head if she forgot to brush it out before turning out the lights. "How have things been for you lately?"

"As good as they can get when you're dead," Her mother shrugged with a small bark of laughter. When she was first faced with the older woman's ghost, Maka had responded as suspected; she had screamed bloody murder. Her father had rushed in (since it had been early in the morning as the son rose) and assumed that his daughter was having a nightmare brought on by grief. Kami had watched them as they spoke, Maka trying to express her concern over seeing her mother while her father tried to reassure her that she wasn't really there. As time progressed, Maka just assumed this was brought on by what the papers said about her mother's passing and that it'd end eventually. Her mother only seemed to come by at crucial points in her young life with the offer of practical advice, anyway.

As far as Hamlet complexes went, Maka had chalked hers up as one of the most sensible and benevolent cases. (1)

"That's good. Did you want to talk to me about my current plans to move in with the Evans family?" Maka asked casually, wincing and yelping when her brush cut through a rough knot and gave her head a good yank. She rubbed the now sore spot with her free hand before resuming her brush, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from yelping when another snag left her with a second sore spot.

"You've always been such a clever little girl, haven't you, Maka?" Her mother beamed with pride, which made the younger girl blush and giggle a little bit over the compliment. Even if she was just a figment of Maka's imagination, Kami's ghost was a very close shot to what the woman had been like in life. It was one of the reasons she had been so devastated when her mother passed away; they'd been so close and Kami had actually home-schooled her daughter. "I'm worried about this and what could end up happening to you if things don't go well."

"Mother, it's a mutually thing. We're just using one another to better our own situation, is all," Maka said calmly as she finished combing her hair. She then opened the drawer to her bedside table and pulled out a hair tie. She began twisting her hair into a braid then paused, glancing up at her mother with a small frown. "You were the one who taught me that, Mother. You always told me to get what I can out of people when they need something from me."

Kami sighed at this, one hand sliding through her hair. Her moss tinted eyes were glaring at the wooden floorboards of the house. "I know that, Maka, but I didn't think you'd implement that strategy so early on in your life. I meant that to be something you focused on once you were a full-grown adult, to help you handle dealing with all the heartless people out there," She said as she walked over. She knelt beside her daughter and cupped the sides of her face, looking into her eyes. Although Maka couldn't really feel her mother's touch, it was enough to make her meet the older woman's gaze. "I don't want you to end up like I did, Maka."

Just as she opened her mouth to respond, Maka was snapped alert by the sound of the front door being thrown open. "Papa must be home… I should go let him know what's going on tomorrow morning," She mumbled, standing and walking to her door. Her hair fell free of the unfinished braid she'd started, leaving it just the slightest bit wavy. Her hand came to the door knob but stopped as her mind caught up with the situation.

She could smell heavily applied cheap perfume and could hear feminine giggles along with her father's own low chuckles.

Her fingers tightened around the knob for a moment before she yanked away from it, stepping back until her legs hit the end of her bed. She let herself fall, sitting there with her shoulders slumped. She could feel bitter tears stinging and pricking at the back of her eyes, could feel her nails biting into the pale flesh of the palm of her hands, but forced the pain away. "Maka?" Kami asked softly, tone laced with concern.

"Never mind; he can just figure it all out on his own. He doesn't care about me; not anymore," She whispered so quietly the ghost almost didn't catch it. She then crawled up to the head of her bed, nestled down into the blankets, and opened the bedside drawer again. She pulled out a small pink notebook with pastel green, yellow and blue polka-dots all over it in various sizes. A matching pen was clipped to the metal spirals that kept the pages looped together. "I may as well write some possible lyrics while I fume over what a worthless bastard **that man** had become." She cursed while flipping to the first clean page she could find.

"Oh Maka," Kami sighed lightly while shaking her head. Maka ignored her while scratching down a quick few verses before looking up. Her mother's ghost had disappeared again and her heart felt heavy as the loneliness began to sink in. Even if her mother was just a figment of her imagination, it was nice to occasionally have someone to talk to when she was feeling completely lost or depressed.

"It doesn't matter; I should be used to this by now," She grumbled bitterly, finishing up the rest of her song in silence. Afterwards, she turned over to the next page and pressed the tip of her pen to the first line, but nothing came to her. She left it there, letting a large black spot develop as she tried to think of anything else that may inspire her in some way.

And, oddly enough, her thoughts landed on her new plans; or, more precisely, on the silver-haired aristocrat that was associated with her plans.

Soul seemed like an okay sort, once you looked past that cool-guy bravado he seemed fixated on. And she assumed he had to be at least a little bit talented, given that his older brother seemed more concerned about the bad things she'd heard from other people than about if she was dubious about the younger's skills. And Soul had been about as courteous as an heir with an attitude issue could get; maybe he wouldn't be a total slob, after all. But then again, judging by who he decided to keep as company, he could be just as troublesome as a part of her insisted. "Whatever; all men are just jerks and traitors. I mean, besides Kid, of course," She grumbled before placing her journal back in its place and heading to bed, forgetting to braid her hair.

In the morning, she left her father with nothing more than a note saying she'd return whenever she felt like it and to not search for her.

End

_(1) Hamlet_ is a play by Shakespeare in which the main character, Hamlet, seeing his father's ghost. There's a lot more to the plot of the play but that's the part that currently matters; I absolutely loathe _Hamlet_ but there will be another reference later on so this will make more sense then.

Thank you all for the reviews, story adds and story alerts! They made me dance with joy and get weird looks from my friends! Also, I don't typically take five days to update but as long as I continue to get love and get feedback on what you all think of this story, I'll try to get new chapters out between five to ten days. Also, I have three more ideas I'd like to write but I want to try and only have two stories going at a time. There are three new Soul Eater ideas posted on my profile, as well as a poll; depending on what gets the highest votes, I'll start on that first. I'll post the results to the poll when I update chapter three and will upload the new story with the update of chapter four (or five, depending on how well I can pace myself since I still have a huge research paper to write for Writing 101). So please vote and let me know if this chapter was good too!

Next Chapter:

Soul starts to wonder if he's really made the biggest mistake of his life; Maka finds herself agreeing with him on that note rather begrudgingly. And Spirit does exactly what Maka told him **not** to do… Until he gets distracted, that is.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, thank you for the suggestions on songs to check out, Shenzuul; I'll listen to those and let you all know what I think. :3

Chapter Three

"But, Maka-Chan, I don't want to lie to Spirit-Kun!" Blair whimpered sadly, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. She earned an annoyed sigh from the younger woman, who lightly began to massage her temples with her index fingers.

"Blair, please. I know you don't want to lie, so just pretend not to know. That's not technically lying, now is it? It's just playing pretend," Maka stated gently with a small smile, looking up at the other girl. Although Blair was older, she was a lot more naïve than people would expect. Maka felt guilty about manipulating the purple haired woman, but at the same time she needed her plan to work out. And if Spirit showed up… Well, everything would just get completely messed up.

"Blair can do that… As long as it's just like a little game," She mumbled nervously, fiddling with her nails anxiously. She was answered with a bright smile and sparkling jade orbs.

"That's exactly what this is, Blair! So, anyway, they're getting a room ready for me right now. Have you had any luck getting us another gig yet?" She asked as she turned to enter the Evans household. The pair was in the large, lush garden of the property to get some privacy; Maka didn't want to worry her friends with the talk of her father. And she certainly didn't want Soul to know for fear he may cancel out their current deal unless she talked to her father.

That would certainly stick her between a rock and a hard place.

The older woman pursued her eagerly and nodded happily. "Yeah! This fancy aristocratic woman called Eruka asked us to perform at this upcoming party she's holding. She's trying to impress some guy she's really sweet on," Blair giggled conspiratorially. Maka smiled and nodded calmly. She had heard of this girl; her name around town was Eruka the Frog. Eruka was a pretty girl but she had a strange fascination with the slimy creatures; so much show that quite a few rooms in her home were dedicated to keep the animals safe from predators, famine or drought. It was a strange little habit but the other woman had received a large sum of inheritance when her parents passed; as long as she was willing to pay, Maka wasn't really going to shrug a customer off.

"That's perfect. When does she want us to perform by?" Maka asked with a smile, glancing at Blair. The other woman's smile widened significantly now.

"Four days from now!" She declared happily. Maka balked at the other woman, her sneakers squeaking in loud protest against the tile at her abrupt stop.

"Four days? Blair, that's not nearly enough time! We need to coach Soul, get him familiar with the music and make sure everything sounds right!" She yelped frantically. Such a small margin of time! Oh, man, if she was panicking she could only image how the rest of the group would respond; except for Patty, since she responded to everything by laughing it off. She was standing in front of a pair of large white French doors and could see the others watching them from inside with acute interest. She tried to mask her newfound fear. "Is there any way she can postpone her party and give us a few more days?"

"No, it's a Birthday celebration; it's for that guy I mentioned she's interested in," Golden eyes softened and a worried frown twisted on the other woman's lips. "Maka-Chan, I can tell her to find someone else if this is too short notice for you…"

"No, no; we'll find a way to make it work. Hopefully Soul is as good at piano as he makes himself out to seem," The blonde sighed heavily, reaching up and rubbing the back of her head lightly. She glanced in at her friends and sighed again. "Yeah, I'm sure we can make it work. Get to work on making the travel arrangements and picking out our wardrobes."

The other woman squealed and hugged Maka viciously, clutching the younger girl to her chest and spinning her around. "Oh, Maka-Chan is so wonderful! Blair will get to work right away and make sure everything is just perfect for your first big performance since getting the group all back in balance!" She beamed happily, finally releasing the other after she was thoroughly dizzy. While she rushed away eagerly, Maka tried to regain her footing and make the world stop spinning.

Once she had regained her composure she entered the rehearsal room that had been prepared for them. At once, Kid had pounced upon her. "Maka, your hair! Your pigtails aren't symmetrical and you have fly-aways!" He declared frantically, reaching into the pocket of his coat and pulling out a tiny, foldable hairbrush. The dark haired male shoved her into a nearby seat and tugged the hair ties out of her hair, eliciting a small hiss from the girl.

"What is he doing?" Soul whispered, leaning over on the piano bench to Tsubaki, whom was setting up a drum set. She perked up and looked over before giggling and leaning over, cupping on hand over her mouth so that it was a little more private.

"Kid has this little habit," She stated quietly. She glanced over, giggling as Maka sat silent and let Kid comb her hair and separate everything evenly. "He's got a thing about symmetry. He's been receiving therapy but he still gets a little antsy sometimes. Since Maka has known him since they were little she doesn't have too much of an issue humoring him with little things. And don't worry; he'll wait until he's known you for at least a week before he starts doing this kind of stuff to you." She winked at the horrified expression she got from the young pianist.

Soul blinked then chuckled lightly. _'Ah. So she's just teasing me a little bit; that's cool,'_ He thought before turning his attention back to the pair a few feet away. Liz was finishing up with the drum set and Patty was laughing loudly at the two. Finally Kid leaned back from Maka with a large grin.

"There! Perfect!" He sighed in contentment.

Maka smiled lightly and stood up, clapping her hands and twirling to look at the group. "Okay, you guys, listen up please! I talked with Blair and we have another gig coming up with Lady Eruka in four days. So we need to practice hard and make sure we focus on our practices, okay?" She said, keeping her voice chipper in hopes of not spreading the panic she felt to the others.

That plan completely backfired for her.

Kid paled considerably, Liz collapsed to her knees, Patty burst out laughing hysterically (which was the response she'd already been expecting), Tsubaki was smiling but the corner of her lips twitched lightly and Soul looked somewhat put-out, his mouth agape a little bit. "Nyah ha ha! How are we supposed to do that in four days? This is gonna be fun!" Patty squealed eagerly.

"Four… Why four? Why not eight?" Kid wailed frantically, falling to his knees with his head in his hands. He was mumbling "Why not eight?" over and over again.

Liz was shaking and, suddenly, she jumped from her spot and grabbed Kid by the collar. "Is that all you have the time to panic over? Did you forget we just got a total greenhorn signed up to join our group?" She screeched, pointing an accusing finger at Soul. In response, he gave her an annoyed glare.

"Who you callin' a greenhorn? I'll be lucky if you're crappy little group doesn't totally ruin my playing!" He snapped back angrily. There was a moment of silence and five pairs of eyes turned to him.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Maka barked out, her arms crossing over his chest and a glare to match Soul's coming to his face. He blinked then flashed her a haughty smirk.

"Well, think about it; which one of us comes from a famous, talented family? I've been born and bred to be the coolest kid in town and that's exactly what I am. Hanging around with you guys should be considered community service," He said while shrugging. Soul had a theory; they'd never respect him if he didn't prove how good he was, right? If he showed them he was confident (or at least appeared to be confident) he could get their respect and more easily integrate himself into the group. "I mean, what else have you got going for you? Lead singers are usually good at bringing in a crowd but you're just a tinny-tit no-assed Lolita."

Soul, however, didn't seem to realize that insults and boasting were on rather different playing fields.

"Maka CHOP!" Now, Soul had seen what had occurred after a Maka-Chop the evening before; Hell, Black*Star hadn't been able to talk straight for a whole two hours **after** the three hours he spent out like a light! And experiencing one certainly wasn't on his list of ambitions to be achieved with this group. So as the searing pain registered he suddenly wondered why? Why did he have to open his big mouth and provoke the damn woman into attacking? Although all these thoughts were in a neat little package in his head, they didn't come out nearly as elegantly in verbal terminology.

"SWEET ANGRY JESUS THAT HURTS!" See?

Maka set the book she had pulled from thin air down and replaced it with a small black tape recorder. She was watching Soul with a dull expression, clicking the record button, while three of their other comrades sweat-dropped at her actions. "First observation; members of the Evans family may put on an appearance of humility and kindness in social conditions but they are rather prideful and downright rude when isolated in smaller groups. They are so full of hot air they could probably power a hot-air balloon trip around the world," She stated flatly. She watched as Soul continued to run around the room, screaming and cursing loudly while clamping his hands over his throbbing cranium. "They also have a very low tolerance for physical pain." She then clicked the tape recorder off and slipped it into her pocket.

"What the hell is wrong with you? And what the hell was with those observations you made?" Soul bellowed angrily, marching right up to her. Maka glanced up at him with a vacant expression before pulling a notebook from the magic, invisible void that she apparently had access to. The notebook was a spiral, with a funky neon orange and pastel pink stripped pattern; her pen was a perfect match. She flipped to the first page, clicked out the point of the pen and pressed it to the paper. She then began scratching down a few notes without looking away from Soul or writing outside of the lines. His eye twitched at her as she then snapped the notebook shut and headed over to Tsubaki.

"Have you started composing anything new? I wrote a few new poems we should be able to convert to songs," She said to the other girl cheerfully. Tsubaki blinked then smiled back mirthfully.

"Well, I have written a few quieter pieces. I also wrote a more sorrowful one while it was raining last week; for some reason, rain just puts me in that sort of mood," The raven haired woman informed her with a tilt of her head and troubled expression. Soul's eye twitched even more. "And I can't think of a specific reason why, either. I guess rain makes me think of tears?"

"That would make sense," Maka said with a nod.

"What the fuck are you even talking about? And why did you choose to ignore my questions?" Soul growled out while he charged over, grabbed Maka's shoulder and spun her around to face him. She blinked, a little surprised, then glared at him.

"Are you ready to apologize for being rude?" She asked while leaning into his face with a menacing expression. He balked at her.

"Is that all you want?" He asked skeptically.

She opened her mouth to retort again when the door opened and in walked Masumi Evans, wearing a yellow dress with brown gloves and brown ruffles every here and there. She was grinning like a fool. "Hello, everyone! I came to see how everything is going and bring in this ice chest of drinks for you all to partake of," She mused, stepping aside. A disgruntled looking butler brought in the large blue plastic object previously mentioned and set it down with a grunt. He walked back away with one hand rubbing as his now sore back.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Duchess Evans," Maka said, bowing politely with a sweet as sugar smile on her face. The other four members of the group repeated her phrasing and gesture just a second after her. Soul forced a tense smile on his lips, though his eyes were narrowed and watching the petite little blonde in disbelief.

'_Is this chick for real? She must be bi-polar and off her meds… Or just plain PMSing,'_ He thought slowly. He twitched when she sent him a discreet glare, wondering if she could actually read his mind. _'What the hell has Wes gotten me in to? What the hell have __**I**__ gotten myself into?'_ He wondered in sheer surprise.

"Oh, please," His mother giggled with a blush and a hand resting on her cheek shyly, "call me Masumi-Chan! I'm not that old or mean to make you call me by my social rank!" She then looked around at all the instruments set up. She walked a little further in and looked at a some black binder resting on top of the piano. She picked it up curiously. "So is this the piano part for your songs?"

"Just a handful of them, really," Maka said as she walked over. She indicated the dividers placed inside. "We like to keep things organized so we separated them according to difficulty. After that, we put them in alphabetical order and then from shortest to longest. And we put little notes in colored tabs on each divider; all the folders are set up like this too, down to the very last detail." She explained. Soul sent a side long glance at the violinist in the group.

His eyes were shining and his cheeks rosy with a sense of pride that Soul found almost admirable (if not for the subject the pride was directed toward).

"My, that's quite clever for such a young group! When I was performing our music was always placed in performance order," She stated with a nod. Soul could see that his mother was not really impressed with this; she found it childish and pointless.

'_Of course she thinks the way she did things is better; she thinks everything should be done the way she used to do it,'_ He thought bitterly. Although Soul did love his mother, he did have a bit of resentment towards her as well. 'With everyone in this family it's all their way or the highway with zero ground for discussions or debates. Then again, I guess I'm not too much better, really…'

"We do that as well," Maka chimed in calmly, meeting his mother's gaze. He jerked up, burgundy orbs wide in surprise, as Maka indicated the first divider. "We use this to cover the music from being damaged as well as separating everything between performances. A few days before a gig, we decide which songs we want to perform in what order and then move the music to the front in proper order. We then rehearse those songs until the gig and put them back in their proper locations once the show is over."

Masumi Evans blinked a bit, her ruby eyes glinting with annoyance, before she plastered on a bright smile and small giggle. "Well your group has thought of everything, haven't you? Oh, I almost forgot! I had some snacks prepared for you all as well; excuse me while I go and get them for you," She mused before turning and rushing back out. Once she disappeared Maka pulled her little notebook back out of nowhere and scribbled something else down.

"Today has certainly been an interesting day; and I've barely even started my research to boot," She mumbled softly with a small grin.

"Did… Did you really just give **my mother an attitude**?" Soul asked, complete bemusement and slight amusement in his expression. Emerald orbs shifted to him with a rather amused look of their own.

"Well, your mother started it by looking down on us," She answered calmly. She gestured to the rest of her crew, who were all looking rather serious now. "Just because you all come from higher slots of society doesn't mean we aren't just as classy or capable as you. Perhaps we are even classier than you all because we've had to struggle and fight more; we weren't born with silver spoons in our mouths. We had to try even harder to scratch out what little respect we have garnered."

"It ain't that easy to be born in high society either, though," Soul said as he flopped down on the piano bench.

"What do you mean?" Patty chimed in curiously.

"Yeah. I mean, come one, you can have anything and everything you want just by throwing around your surname. That's the kind of power people like us can only **dream** of having," Liz added in with a small laugh. Her hands fell to her hips and she quirked an eyebrow at him. "How can being a fancy, high society talent be hard?"

"Being an Evans is harder than you'd think; everyone has high expectations of me," He said with a sigh. He looked down at his hands, which were now linked together, and closed his eyes. "My parents were wonderful performers, just like everyone else in the family. On top of that, I have Wes' reputation to try and live up to. I can't really be myself in public; if I did that I'd be viewed as a disgrace to the Evans name. But if I can't be myself I can't perform to the best of my ability. It's a catch 22, really."

Maka frowned lightly, worried, then perked up. She reached out and lightly poked his forehead, causing him to look back up and stare at her. "Well then be yourself with us. We don't care how you really are; as long as you can play well and keep from always snapping out insults we don't care how you want to be. Hell, Patty makes a habit out of turning her sheet music into giraffes on a nearly daily basis and yet we still keep her around!" She laughed lightly. Soul shifted his gaze to the tittering blonde.

"Yup yup! I do love giraffes!" She gushed happily, which made Soul's eye twitch again. (A strange habit, really, that he hadn't known he'd develop through joining with this group.)

"We all have our little quirks about us but that doesn't mean that we can't learn to work together. We may be trying to benefit from one another, but who says we can't enjoy our time together too?" Maka continued with her smile still in place. He blinked a bit then smiled faintly at her in response.

"I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?" He asked with a laugh. She giggled lightly, letting him gauge that as his response. _'Maybe this won't be so bad, after all.'_ He thought, a small flicker of hope inside him.

Entering with a loud clatter of door against wall, Masumi returned with a young maid behind her. There was a large wheeled cart being brought along with plenty of treats from Danishes to cheesecake with juicy strawberries to a platter of shrimp with cocktail sauce. Maka was completely surprised at this type of treatment; were the Evans that grateful to preoccupy their youngest son with some less juvenile than caddy pranks with a known hoodlum? There was a bright grin on the older woman's face as she indicated the large cart. "I had a few little things prepared and eat as you'd like. Also, you're all welcome to stay for dinner this evening," She said before turning back toward the door. The maid set the cart next to the piano, bowed politely and then rushed away in well-practiced haste and grace. "Enjoy your rehearsal time."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Masumi-Chan," Maka said with a bright smile on her lips. Soul's mother halted her steps, hand resting on the door, but did not turn to face them.

"You are quite welcome, children," She said merrily before disappearing, shutting the door with a muted click behind her. She glared at the wall, fists clenched, and marched down the hall. How dare that girl argue with her, contradict her? There was certainly going to be retribution for that girl!

A very un-lady-like smirk came to her lips as she began to plot.

…

When Spirit woke up that morning, the girl he'd brought home was gone; it was just as well, given his daughter's reaction to foreign females in their home. He smiled brightly at the thought of his little girl. His precious Maka. He headed out to the front room of their nice cottage and peered around. Although they had a bit more money now, he had wanted to keep their humble abode in town; it was close to the best grocery stores, Maka's favorite book stories and the public library.

After her mother's passing, Spirit had also hoped the sense of stability would help his daughter recover from the loss.

He headed to the kitchen, delighted to see it spotless. Maka must not have woken up yet; she always made herself a quick breakfast before either running off to the library or to Kid's house for rehearsal. He quickly set to fixing a meal for them, brimming with joy. He and Maka hadn't been able to sit down and eat together in a little over a month. He could see it now!

"Oh, Papa, this is so delicious! I'm so glad I slept through my alarm clock!" Maka would state chipperly, eyes bright with joy. Her hair would be in her usual, adorable pigtails with yellow… No, white ribbons! White was the color of purity, after all. And she'd also wear an adorable orange dress he'd gotten for her about two weeks ago. It was a light tone of peach that would help bring out the natural lights of her hair and shimmer in her eyes. "Do you think we could walk to Kid's house together this morning? I'd like to spend more time with you."

He perked up as he was letting the frying pan heat when he spotted a note pinned to the fridge with Maka's favorite magnet (a little grin worm with a red book, black top hat and pair of glasses on). He plucked it off, looked it over and tensed visibly.

_Imitation Papa – I have left to pursue my own interests for an undecided amount of time. I will return when I feel I have accomplished my task and that you've stopped making a mockery of the memories of your marriage to Mama. Do not come looking for me; I can assure you that I won't be found and that no one else will know where to look. Sincerely, Maka Albarn._

His eyes widened, horror filling them up, before he took off running out of the house. He left the frying pan on the stove top and didn't even notice the small sparks coming from it.

"Maka! Come back! Papa loves you and Mama! Papa loves you both so much!" He wailed while running down the streets, people staring at him strangely. Blair and Wes, who were sitting at a small outdoor café together, glanced over. Blair sweat-dropped and Wes raised an eyebrow in skepticism as the man stopped mid-step, two attractive women coaxing him to disappear into a shady looking building with them.

"So Maka didn't tell her own father that she'll be staying in the Evans family home? Working specifically with a boy close to her own age?" Wes asked before picking up his cup and taking a small sip of his tea. Blair sunk deeper into her chair and whimpered lightly.

"Maka-Chan is a very tough girl and very unforgiving toward men," She explained. She glanced down at her own tea then plopped two more sugar cubes in it; she wasn't a big fan of tea but with a little milk, sugar and honey she could grin and bear it. "She doesn't open up easily and she has a lot of resentment toward her father. It's not healthy but it's worrying. I just… I want Maka to be happy. Kami-Nee-Chan wanted that too."

"Kami?" Wes asked curiously. Blair nodded, keeping her eyes trained on her cup.

"Yes, that was Maka-Chan's mother's name. Kami Albarn saved me from a terrible life on the streets," Blair mumbled lightly, shuddering as she remembered the nights before. The nights she went to bed hungry and cold, the nights she wondered what her life was for, the nights she wondered if she'd live to see the next sun rise. And then Maka had found her and Kami had taken her under her wing. She smiled as she recalled those happier days. "But then, Kami-Chan passed away and things got complicated…"

"How did she die, exactly?" Wes asked in slight interest. Golden eyes met garnet ones, a spark flaring between them, before Blair looked back down again.

"This story is long, and very sad," She then looked up with a small glare, "and very personal. If you tell a single soul, from your adorable little brother to your parents to so much as your violin, I'll personally come after you. I will see to it you suffer even more than you'd think capable of a human to suffer." Her voice was a low snarl now and, surprisingly, it sent thrills going up the older Evans' sibling's spine. That was a little strange; he normally didn't react to girls like that.

"I understand. I swear on my honor as a member of the Evans dukedom that these words will not be given out to anyone else," He said confidently. He met her gaze as he spoke and watched her lips slowly turn up in a smile.

He was trustworthy; of that much, Blair knew. After all, she had to take care of Maka like a good mother would. It was the least she could do after everything she'd been given by Kami and Maka both over the years.

"Okay. I'll start this from the beginning then, when I met them,"

…

It was most likely either midnight or moments before when the clank of piano keys and the nagging in her throat awoke Maka from an otherwise peaceful rest. She sat up and blinked a few times, reaching to pick up the water bottle she had set beside her bed, when a familiar chord caught her ears. She heard a clang, an incorrect note, followed by a hissed swear or two. _'Soul… He's awake and practicing?'_ She thought in slight surprise. Maka had asked for a room across from the practice room; if she needed to get something for rehearsal she wanted to be able to make it a quick trip.

She took a quick swig from her bottle, clearing her throat to assure she would not falter in her speech. They had practiced almost all day and it had worn down on her poor vocal cords. She then crept out into the hallway in her large nightshirt and pajama pants. She noticed the door was just slightly ajar and walked in, being quite so as to not interrupt Soul's concentration.

From her perch, she noticed that Soul was wearing nothing but a pair of blue shorts and a black tank top; she wondered if he often woke up in the middle of the night to practice nameless pieces of music. He growled and slipped through his binder to the front page of the piece. Maka noticed that, unlike the uniform black binders their group used, this one was a pink. She tried to fight back giggling but a few snorts escaped. She didn't stop, even when she was being glared at. "What do you want?" Voice hoarse, Maka met Soul's heavy gaze.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. I just never thought that a cool guy like you would have an adorable pink binder full of music. That's pretty hardcore," She said, snorting as the words left her mouth. The young male's face flamed to life and his eyes narrowed even more.

"Shut up! This is a binder of music my grandmother asked me to learn to play!" He snapped angrily, turning back to the piano. Maka blinked then walked in and settled next to him on the bench curiously, looking down at the black and white keys.

"Are you close with your grandmother?" She asked, peering over at him sideways. He met her gaze, looking at her the same way, before nodding. She then smiled. "That's nice of you, to want to learn to play songs your grandmother likes." She then glanced at the title of the piece and her eyes lit up. "I know this song! My mother used to sing it when she was doing the dishes!"

He perked up and turned a bit more to better face her. "Really? Why did she stop?" Maka blinked them looked down, swallowing hard. Soul saw the slight tremor of her lip, the slight glaze coming to her eyes, and realized he may have asked a bad question. "You don't have to tell me; it was an uncool question. Do you remember how it goes? I'm having trouble with the part where the singer joins in."

"Uh… Yeah, I think I can do that," Maka said hastily, blinking away the stinging sensation that had started to prick at her eyes. She closed her eyes as Soul started the piece, putting herself back in those days and remembering how her mother had sounded when she sang.

_After all you were perfectly right  
>But I'm scaring close to insanity<br>And on a night like this  
>Nothing stays the same.<br>Nothing looks the same._

Soul glanced at Maka curiously. _'She really is talented, especially since she's singing this simply by memory,'_ He thought in slight surprise. He remembered that Blair had said Maka couldn't read music, had seen this factor proven at rehearsal that afternoon, so he had guessed she had perfect pitch. (1)

_After all you were perfectly right  
>Though our relation just split me in two<br>And on a night like this  
>Pieces fall apart.<br>Visions fall apart._

Now that Maka thought back, she suddenly understood why her mother loved this song so much. Her father was always hurting her mother, wasn't he? Was it… Was it possible her Papa was breaking their wedding vows even before her mother passed on? The thought made her sick and she sang a note weird, causing Soul to perk up a bit. She pushed the thoughts away, instead pretending she was just a little girl with the excuse of being innocent.

_After all you were perfectly right.  
>I had never been happy before<br>And on a night like this  
>You can hear the words.<br>See behind the words._

'_So if she gets distracted by her own thoughts she'll mess up, huh? I'll have to remember that for later,'_ Soul thought to himself. This was somehow strange to him, when he thought about it a little more. He had seen who she worked with; aside from Tsubaki, they were all a little crazy. How was she able to keep herself focused when Patty was laughing for no apparent reason or Liz wasn't paying attention because she favored looking out the window? She really was a peculiar one herself, wasn't she?

_After all you were perfectly wrong  
>Though I thought I'd found love<br>And on a night like this  
>Nothing could be worse.<br>Nothing could be worse. (2)_

Maka slipped back to her feet as Soul played the last few notes, feeling a lump growing in her throat. She smiled a little bit, although it was hollow, as the final note rang out through the quiet of the room. Soul turned to look at her, opening his mouth to speak, when she held up her hand. "Thank you," She mumbled before she scuffled away. He blinked a bit, only staying quiet when he heard a small sniffle come from the departing girl.

"Shouldn't that be my line?" He mumbled before turning the page in his binder. He may as well work on something else now.

End

(1) Perfect pitch – Another term I wasn't sure many people would know. It's basically where you can tell solely by hearing a note if it is perfect, flat or sharp. I don't have it but a relative of mine does. It can also help you to teach yourself to play songs on different instruments just by sound.

(2) _After All_ by the Cardigans. I love this song to pieces and I feel it symbolizes two things; Kami's depression and Maka's own gradual decent into possible madness.

Some notes before I start work on the next chapter:

WesxBlair?... Hm… I think I shall take on the challenge to make it considered canon.

Thanks an oodle for all the love~! It motivated me to finish this a little early as a gift to you all for rocking my world with your reviewers, adds and alerts~!

My poll has, sadly, received no love. If it's not too much to ask (because I'm a terribly needy person like that) please check it out and vote. I'd like to get started but want to do something that you'll all enjoy as much as this story.

Next Chapter:

Soul suddenly can't remember why exactly he and Black*Star are even friends. Maka learns that Tsubaki may have a small crush on the blue haired imp; she is thusly made thoroughly ill. Kami wonders if she should have cut down on the Man-Hater talk around Maka when she was younger.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Four

The day before their performance at Eruka the Frog's party was designated as a dress rehearsal by Blair. Luckily enough, Masami and Duke William Evans, whom Maka had yet to meet, were joining a few friends for tea off the property and left the children able to do as they pleased in the grand ballroom used for celebrations. Currently, the trio of Blair, Liz and Kid were trying to get Patty down from swinging around on a chandelier. Maka and Tsubaki were both laughing nervously while Soul watched with a twitching eye. "She's sure full of energy, huh?" He asked flatly.

"You must know what it's like to hang out with an energetic person, though, don't you?" Tsubaki asked cheerfully. Soul quirked an eyebrow curiously at her until they heard a shatter of glass. For a moment he looked to see if the chandelier had given way but when he saw Patty being dragged back over to the stage by Liz and Kid he suddenly knew what had happened.

There, smirking as he stood on the remains of his second window victim, was Black*Star.

"Not this guy again," Maka sighed, pulling a book from her magical portal and getting it ready for a Maka-Chop. She was not going to let this Black*Star brat ruin the rehearsal like he had almost ruined the performance five days ago. She saw Soul flinch at the sight of the large book and had to bite her cheek to keep from smirking; he had been introduced to several differing books from her plethora in the last few days.

Black*Star perked up and smiled at Tsubaki, walking over. "Hey, it's you again! Your name's Tsubaki, right?"

"Ah, yes," Tsubaki said quickly, feeling her cheeks turn a bit pink. She was smiling lightly, though, and Maka saw an unfamiliar glint in her best friend's eyes. "Thank you for helping me to get my things home the other night. And sorry for inconvenience to you."

"Don't sweat it; the Great Black*Star doesn't mind helping people who need a little greatness themselves! Besides, your bags weren't all that heavy; I could have carried three times that amount without breaking a sweat!" He boasted proud, his hands on his hips. He threw his head back and laughed loudly at this.

"Really? That really is quite amazing!" Tsubaki agreed happily. While she and Black*Star began talking happily with one another, the wheels in Maka and Soul's heads were slowly turning. Both came to startling revelations at the same time with very different reactions.

Maka grabbed the nearest item she could find (a large half-full bowl of punch they'd all been partaking of as their rehearsal went by) and proceeded to get ill in it.

"Damnit, Black*Star, we just replaced that damn window!" Soul snapped angrily. The cerulean haired male looked toward him curiously as Tsubaki rushed to Maka's side, fretting over the girl who was turning green around the gills.

"Ah, come on, you shouldn't be angry! You should be glad that it was my greatness that broke it! And twice, to boot! You should feel honored!" Black*Star cheered with a loud, happy laugh. Soul clenched his fists at his sides, his eye twitching, before he sighed and turned back to Maka and Tsubaki. He made a face at the now soiled punch.

"Liz, can you see if there's a servant nearby and ask them to go take this for cleaning? And see if they can bring us a fresh bowl of punch?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. The strawberry blonde blinked then nodded.

"Uh, yeah… Sure," She said. She released Patty's arm and headed to the door, glancing over her shoulder briefly, before shaking her head and disappearing behind the door.

"Please tell me you aren't catching the flu; they say it's been going around town lately," Tsubaki fretted to Maka, rubbing the smaller girl's back lightly. Maka released a small groan and shook her head.

"No, no; I just had a terribly disturbing thought that turned my stomach too tremendously," She grumbled bitterly. She shuddered slightly and then corrected herself. She set the bowl back where it was on a buffet table and picked up her unfinished punch glass. "I'm fine. Now, if we could just get started on rehearsal and everything, if you don't mind." She took a quick sip of her drink, discreetly swishing it around in her mouth and hiding a grimace when she swallowed. To think that her best friend… Tsubaki; sweet, kind, timid Tsubaki… Tsubaki might be attracted to that blue haired little freak? She had to take a deep breath to keep from hacking up again.

"Well, back to rehearsal. So, tell me, what should we start with today?" Soul asked calmly. Kid flipped through his binder and came to a halt, pointing to a song.

"We should start with this one. It's a softer piece that will give Maka's vocal chords a little rest. We've been working her a little hard the last few days," Kid suggested calmly. Maka perked up and smiled a little bit at the consideration for her physical woes. Kid may be a little bit of a nut when it came to symmetry, but he had a good heart beating in that chest of his. "It'll be in the R section – Regret Message."

Soul opened his own binder and set it up while the others did the same. Liz returned at some point with a butler in close pursuit. The poor man made a face at the punch bowl before sighing, picking it up, and leaving wordlessly. Liz then headed over to her own position, picking the right song by looking over Patty's shoulder at her own music. Blair settled herself on the floor contently and smiled, waiting eagerly to listen it to whatever masterpiece the group was about to perform. Maka took a deep breath and nodded her head as Patty started in with a delicate xylophone part. She was shortly after joined by the rest of the ensemble.

_At a small harbor straying from a town  
>Alone a girl stands still.<em>

Soul glanced over at Maka curiously as she began singing, her tone delicate and graceful while still portraying a sense of innocence and remorse. A lot of the songs Soul had performed with the group so far were just up-beat catchy tunes meant to get the audience listening or dancing. He hadn't heard any of the songs that Maka and Tsubaki had actually collaborated fluidly on like this one. And even then, he only knew because of the little notes jotted down on the sides of his music so he'd know what tone to be aiming for.

_It has been here at this sea from long ago  
>A secret legend.<em>

Blair perked up curiously as she realized she didn't recognize this song. She always listened in to the rehearsals, taking care of what songs were good for dancing and what would be better for just muted background noise (as what was their usual MO before teaming up with the young Evans heir). Although this song was quieter, like most of the piece dubbed as subtle static, it had a much deeper sensation to it, like the songs the group never played for fear of criticism.

She was even more surprised that she really liked it.

"_Put a parchment with a wish written on it  
>Into a small bottle<br>And if it's washed away by the sea then someday  
>The thought will bear fruit."<em>

Wes walked down the hall, curious when he spotted a few servants pressed against the door of the grand ballroom. They were whispering in clipped, dulled tones to one another and peering through a small crack in the door. He headed over curiously, looking over a few heads and spotting his brother and his group. "It's so strange; it's a tragic song yet I can't help but want to listen to it!" One younger maid whispered in a hushed exclamation.

_Drifting away, a small bottle of glass  
>A message with a wish placed in<br>Far beyond the horizon  
>Quietly disappearing.<em>

'_Well this certainly is an interesting sight,'_ Wes thought, settling in. He wasn't really sure if the maids had realized that one of their masters was hovering over them, watching as they technically eavesdropped instead of working, or if they even cared. He couldn't help but agree that relaxing and listening to this group was a little more interesting than doing work; even he didn't feel as rushed to hide out in his practice room and buckle down. It was very rare that so many talents were assembled together and creating such artistic chemistry. It was alright to just get whisked away like this for a short time, wasn't it?

_You were always beneficial to me  
>And would do anything.<em>

Maka let herself sway a bit as she sang. She had written the song years ago, when standing at her mother's grave during the funeral. She had stood out there from the moment the casket was placed and buried until the moon was high in the sky. It had taken a lot of coaxing from both Kid and Tsubaki to convince her to go home and rest, both fearing she'd catch her death out there all night in a thin black mourning gown. The next morning, she had seen the articles in the papers about her mother's death and that was when Kami's ghost first started talking to her. After her initial shock and terror rolled by, her attention returned to the articles and she felt motivated to act.

She had clipped the articles out, locked them up in a little blue and silver jewelry box her mother left her, and then she wrote the poem that was turned into this song.

_I've only always been selfish  
>And gave you troubles.<em>

Her emerald spheres shifted to Soul, who seemed to be enjoying playing the piece. He always had this sort of blank look on his face but his eyes… If he wasn't particularly fond of a song his eyes would remain as blank and unyielding as his expression. When he liked a song, however, they would light up as if they were crimson stars yanked from a foreign sky. She found that secretive little trait, an attribute the boy probably wasn't even really aware of himself, to be rather endearing about him.

_You, who would fulfill my wish,  
>Are no longer here so<br>I am getting the sea  
>To deliver my thoughts.<em>

Soul, on the other end of the spectrum, was delighted by this song. The deeper meaning, the tragic and mysterious history, all appealed to him. Although he'd never own up to this fact if asked face to face, Soul Evans was a secret romantic. He loved all forms of music but songs with light melodies, sweeping accompaniments, and strong vocals that helped the emotions to be explored always appealed to him. Sure, he didn't mind the more dramatic and out-there songs either but the more emotionally provocative songs, for him anyway, were always the quieter ones.

_Drifting away, a little wish  
>Tears and a slight regret.<br>Realizing a sin is always  
>After everything is over.<em>

Blair sniffled a little bit from her perch on the floor, tears springing from her eyes and dripping down her chin. She understood this song so well; she remembered what it had been like for Maka at first. She just knew this song was about Kami, and all Maka's feelings about her passing. The whole family had been hit hard by her death; Spirit lost his wife, Maka lost her mother, and Blair had lost her role model. Kami Albarn, the woman who could do nothing but support, had been a truly beautiful woman in every sense of the word. It made sense that such a lovely song be dedicated to her memory.

_Drifting away, a small bottle of glass  
>A message with a wish placed in<br>Far beyond the horizon  
>Quietly disappearing.<em>

Maka had closed her eyes; she wasn't too sure when she had, but it was when she felt a burning sensation in her eyes and realized she saw only darkness that she had shut them. But from what? She hadn't sung this song yet so she hadn't really thought too much about it. Was she really having this much of a reaction to such simple words? Then again, they had been written from her to her mother; there was a deep connection in those words.

_Drifting away, a little wish  
>Tears and a slight regret.<em>

When Maka opened her eyes, she saw her mother standing in the back of the grand ballroom. She was leaning against the wall, her hands clasped over her heart (or at least where her heart would be), and her eyes were running over with tears. The younger woman could feel her own tears running down her chin and dripping to the floor. She forced herself to take a breath, no matter how rattled it came out, and shakily pushed out the last few words.

_"If we could be reborn..." (1)_

"My word, that song is so beautiful!" One maid gasped quietly, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. The other three women that had joined her in their little listening session nodded, dabbing at their eyes or noses with sleeves or handkerchiefs as well. Wes slipped back from them quietly, smiling to himself as he started off on his own. _'Seems you're going to be just fine, Soul,'_ He thought gratefully.

"But, you know what's strange? I suddenly feel like I should call my parents and check in with them," One woman stated in slight confusion. The other's nodded eagerly, picking up their skirts and following her out as well.

"Me too!"

"I think I'm going to call my children; I haven't spoken to my daughter, sons or any grandchildren in almost three months!"

After the song was completed, the group all beamed in pride over the wonderful sound. Maka had forced herself back together while Blair threw herself at her, hugging her to her chest and coddling over her like a mother cat with a kitten. The sandy haired girl had let her from a mix of humoring the older woman and just sincerely wanting to be held close by someone who she knew loved her just as much as she loved them. When Blair released her, instead setting her grasps upon Soul (whose nose turned on like a sink faucet when her clothed breasts came in his full line of sight), she glanced toward the wall and saw her mother's ghost was still standing there, lightly clapping for her. A shiver crawled up her spine.

Usually her mother didn't come unless there was something Maka needed to talk to someone about. But what could be bothering her now, other than her usual sorrow over what became of her family?

"That was pretty good! I mean, it would have been better if the song was about me; or better yet, if **I** was the one singing!" Black*Star whooped suddenly. Maka turned and saw he had crawled on stage, currently engaging Tsubaki in conversation.

The petite obsidian haired woman smiled and giggled lightly. "I'm sure you have a wonderful singing voice," She agreed happily, eyes sparkling with mirth. Jade orbs fogged over with bitterness before she turned away quickly.

"Is something the matter, Maka?" Kid asked, snapping her from her inner rage. He had a small frown on his lips, eyes set hard on her. "You look a little… Pale." His wording was careful; he knew if he said the word "angry" than Maka would snap at him and storm away. After years of being her friend, Kid had picked up on what terms would get what reactions from the young blonde.

"I just feel a little woozy, I guess. Must be from getting ill earlier," She said, plastering on a weak smile. Gold spheres widened a smidge before narrowing in suspicious concern. "I think I'm actually going to go get some fresh air real fast. You know, stretch my legs and try to settle myself back down." She turned quickly on her heels and headed out at a brisk pace not typical of a nauseous person.

"Kid," Liz said suddenly, causing him to perk up and turn around. She and Patty both had concerned faces on, matching his own inner feeling. "What's up with Maka?"

"I'm not sure," He said with a small sigh. He headed back toward his drum set and sat down, setting to rearrange the drum set so it was a bit more symmetrical. Liz and Patty followed, watching and listening to his explanation. "It could be a number of things, really; that songs emotional connection to her, remembering that she composed that song with Chrona, realizing that the anniversary is exactly four months from today… She has a lot of reasons to be so emotionally muddled."

"It makes me sad when she gets like that," Patty mumbled softly, looking down at the floor. She rarely felt anything other than cheer and joy, but even she could sympathize. Maka was one of her precious people and it hurt to realize she couldn't do anything to help alleviate her pains. "Isn't there anything we can do for her, sis?" She asked, looking over at her older sibling worriedly.

"I guess all we can do is be here for her if she needs us, Patty," Liz said gently. She put on a small smile, trying to raise her sibling's morale. "And as long as we support her as much as we can she should be fine."

"Okay, what the hell are you three talking about?" The trio jolted up as Soul walked over, a small scowl on his lips and his hands shoved in his pocket. Liz and Patty glanced at one another, deciding to stay shut, and shifted their gazes to Kid. "There's a whole bunch of shit going on behind the scenes that no one is keeping me up to date on and I don't think it's fair. I've been stepping on that titless brat's toes almost every day since she showed up and I never know why! I mean, sure, there's the obvious reasons like making a shitty comment and flashing her a shit-eating grin afterwards, but there are things I've just sad casually that get me beat up! And then all the rest of you glare at me like I should know better. I'm getting a little bit sick of being the punching bag around here."

Kid looked at Soul with a small scowl, eyes shifting to a more guarded mode, putting up his shields.

"That is a reasonable request," Kid nodded, causing both his blonde friends to jump and look at him in horror.

"Kid! What are yo-" He held up a hand, silencing Liz. She blinked a bit and, just from an exchanged look, suddenly understood. She nodded and watched Soul, gauging his reaction to everything.

"Reasonable, but to some degree undoable," Kid added. Soul's ruby tinted spheres darkened as he prepared to retort; Kid beat him to the punch. "There are personal facts about Maka that you have no right to be informed of at this time. She is a private person and until you receive her trust we cannot spare you that information. I'm not a man of gossip or mindless chattering; when the time is right, she will open up to you of her own accord. However, I can tell you a small amount of information to assure you are a little better on where to tread."

"Oh yeah?" Soul asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Kid nodded calmly before he sighed.

"Allow me to explain to you why we're all in the state we're in," He said. He glanced at Patty, who looked down and timidly touched her left arm. "I assume that Maka didn't tell you much about our old pianist?"

"She just told me there was 'Creative differences' or so bull like that," He shrugged calmly, eyes flashing as curiosity began gnawing on his brain.

"Yes, well, it was more than just 'Creative differences," Kid began, "because Chrona, our previous piano player, was one of the many lost souls Maka has tried to save."

…

Maka ended up walking down the hall and sitting down against the wall. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, hugging them to her torso, and resting her head atop her knees. Kami settled down next to her, legs crossed underneath her, and leaned a little closer, resting her head atop Maka's. The younger girl didn't feel any weight differences. "Tsubaki seems to like that boy a lot," She commented calmly. Maka's fingers twitched, instinctively wanting to curl into fists, but instead they just tightened on her legs.

"She shouldn't," Maka hissed out vehemently. She glared at the wall opposing her, wishing she could bore a large hole into it by spiteful look alone. It did not happen, to say the least. "He's just an overly energetic narcissistic; he has nothing he can really offer her."

"He could, if they got closer, offer her his love and his heart. What could be more pure than that?" Kami asked with a small smile on her lips. A small growl came from her daughter.

"Pure, huh? Give me a break," She responded. She glanced up and looked at her mother with scornful moss tinted orbs. "Men are dogs; just look at where you are because of Papa! It doesn't matter how much they claim to love a woman, it doesn't matter how much the woman loves them; all that matters to them is getting frisky with as many women as they can in a small margin of time. Disgusting, feral beasts that they are."

"Oh, Maka, please listen to reason," She whispered desperately. Maka hide her face in her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around her head, fingers tangling in her hair. She took a shaky breath before speaking again.

"Just go away, Mother," She whimpered weakly. She sounded so frail, so delicate and breakable, that Kami flinched a bit. "Please let me be alone."

Unlike all the other times, however, Kami's ghost just there quietly and stared at the ceiling while her daughter wept.

End

_(1) Regret Message_ – Shimoda Asami. For those of you who listen to Vocaloid music (or know what Vocaloids are) this song was originally sung by the Vocaloid Rin Kagamine. Shimoda Asami is the voice actress whose voice was altered to make Kagamine Len and Rin; she did an entire album of music originally song by the pair. Her version of Regret Message is what I think this would sound like with, specifically because her voice is a pitch rather similar to what I feel Maka would sound like. I'll leave a link to the song on my profile for those of you who want to hear it.

Notes before I disappear to start Chapter Five:

This chapter was mostly character development; I hope none of you think this was just mindless filler. One of the main conflicts of the story has just been introduced.

Some of you are too sweet for your own good; some of those reviews just make me grin and leave me in a good mood all day. Not even stupid people are able to kill the joy you instill with me!

If you all review I'll give you the reward of a fluffy SoulxMaka scene next chapter. (Bribery; have I really sunk so low?)

Thank you again for the adds, reviews and alerts~! They inspire me to do my homework for school so that I have more time to write~!

Next Chapter:

Soul wonders if any of the frog at Miss Eruka's are poisonous. Maka starts to wonder if she should ask her friends to get her some psychiatric help. We finally get to see Mister Cool Guy versus Mister Creative Differences~!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, Shenzuul, I checked out those songs. They were all lovely~! I decided to use my favorite for a scene in this song, actually~!

Chapter Five

Soul yawned lightly as he relaxed in the large black limo that would be their transportation to the party at Eruka the Frog's home. Blair had spent the whole day with Maka, Tsubaki, Patty and Liz. Soul and Kid had been on their own in getting ready; Soul was just grateful that Kid had been too busy trying to get himself symmetrical to pay any attention to the silver haired male. Now, wearing a tuxedo and tie for the umpteenth time in the last few days, Soul sat against the leather seats and tried to relax.

It was hard when his nerves were a little worn.

'_We've only had four days… I mean, sure, we sound okay but will that be enough?'_ Soul thought while closing his eyes. He normally only felt this frantic when he and his brother were performing; and even then, it was only because his brother was superior to him. Soul had always loved playing the piano, but as his parents put pressure on him to try and be as good as his brother. He had lost a bit of his pleasure of it. He had even heard little snickers and jokes his parents made about how bad he was compared to Wes (though he'd never mention this for fear of denials or fighting). He heard Kid let out a small noise and peeked one eye at him.

"The girls are finally done getting ready," He said, pointing out the window. Soul followed where he was pointing and noticed almost immediately that they weren't being led by Maka, as per usual. She had been acting a little strange ever since yesterday, when she sang that song, but he let it go to give the girls each an once-over.

Leading was Patty, who looked about to bubble over with excitement. Her short hair had been combed and pulled back into a little bun, a few stands left free to cradle her face. Her dress was a strapless cherry colored number with a tight portion over the chest, aiding in accenting her slim midriff and large bosom, with a skirt that puffed out a bit more like a princess gown. Soul could just barely see the tip of her red heels underneath. He also noted that she wore red gloves that crawled all the way over her hands and up to her shoulders. He knew they were designed to cover up the bandage he knew was on her left arm.

After her was Liz. Her hair had been curled into multiple ringlets and a blue headband tossed on to help separate her bangs from the rest of her hair. Her dress was a robin's egg blue that matched the headband she wore. It was strapless, like her sister's, but it swept just a few inches below her knees. The neckline was in a heart shape, reveal ample cleavage, with silver beading along it. The dress was form fitting, only giving a bit of room at the waist where the skirt took over. There was also a decorative blue bow on Liz's left hip to give a bit of small charm. She totted no gloves and wore white heeled sandals that that strapped up to her ankles.

Next in line was Tsubaki, who was wearing an apprehensive little smile forced onto her lips. Her hair was tugged back in a long French braid over her shoulder, tied off with a bright gold ribbon. Her gown was a luminous orange hue with a gold sash right blow her breasts that wrapped up as spaghetti straps. It was long, like Patty's, but took a cue from Liz's gown and was a bit form-fitting the whole way down to her exposed toes. He could see she was wearing gold sandals that didn't have much of a lift to them at all; considering she was a few inches taller than both Patty and Maka he figured the heels were less appealing to her. He had learned over the last few days that while Tsubaki was practical, Liz was more commercial (as well as where Patty was airy, Maka was a touch vindictive).

And then there were Maka and Blair, walking next to each other and speaking quietly. Soul briefly wondered if they were meant to be an antithesis of one another, meant to point out what the other lacked. Blair was a bombshell in her black and gold Chinese style dress with the slit in the top that showed off her perky chest, the slits that revealed the skin of her stomach and the slits along the sides that showed off her shapely legs she had very little going on in her head. From what Soul had seen of her so far (and most of that had been close-up examinations of her chest since, damn it all to Hell, the woman was a hugger!) Sure, she was pretty good at convincing people to do what she said but that was mostly because she knew how to flaunt her goodies and use sex appeal to get what she needed. She could probably hold up a conversation pretty well, but he also knew she was from the streets and lacked a formal education; she wasn't too good with math and she wasn't too knowledgeable on any form of literature that wasn't a magazine with pictures in it.

That was where you had Maka, filling in what Blair seemed to be missing.

Maka wasn't too much to look at in regards to physical appearance; she looked much younger than her age dictated. He had to admit, though, that with her hair pulled back in a ponytail with the assistance of a long black ribbon and tied off in a bow she did look a bit more mature (and, dare he say, cute?). Her dress was a sleeveless gown like other two blondes in their group, but her's was in a pastel pink color. It was a few inches longer than Liz's and had black lacy embroidery along the edges of the skirt. Along her waist was more black embroidery in strange swirls and bizarre shapes. The dress was cute, yes, and accented her few curves; and there was one issue with the dress. Maka didn't have much to really flaunt or show-off.

She made up for that, however, in being intelligent and well-read.

Soul had picked up on quite a few things in the last few days with the group and he was beginning to understand the dynamics of it. Much like a wolf pack has alphas, this group did; Maka and Kid, being the most refined among them (subtracting Soul), had taken charge as the leaders and well quite good at it. They had been friends since they were toddlers, raised together, taught together and just constantly exposed to one another. Because of this there was a very strong bond between them (and Soul didn't know why, but he was a little put-off by it). Everyone respected one another and, he was a little surprised, but they seemed to be accepting him already as well.

He briefly wondered if Maka had said something, telling them the deal could turn sour if they didn't try to make nice, but then changed his mind on that. Even Maka seemed to be sincerely warming up to him, despite the slight awkward tension between them and her odd behavior during the last twenty-four hours had him on high alert; what if she had snapped and went on a massive killing spree or something? He wanted to be sure he was prepared for that.

Blair and Maka came to a halt a few feet from the door to the limo. The other three girls finally turned and peered at them cautiously. "You three go get settled; Maka-Chan and I need to talk about something private real fast," Blair said cheerfully, waving one hand toward the door and the other resting lightly on the petite blonde's shoulder. Liz shrugged and headed in while Patty giggled and crawled in with a merry whoop. Tsubaki spared Maka a worried frown before sighing and heading into the vehicle as well. "Are you sure you're going to be okay tonight? I mean, if you aren't we can cancel last minute and-"She was silenced when the younger girl held up one hand and smiled at her lightly.

"It's okay, Blair; you couldn't have known and it would be rude to cancel. This is our first performance with Soul in our group so we can't mess it up," She said gently. Gold spheres softened on forest green ones before the older girl swooped the younger up in her arms.

"You're such a wonderful little girl, Maka-Chan," Blair purred happily, closing her eyes contently. Maka hugged back lightly, glancing over Blair's shoulder and seeing her mother standing there, watching them with a bright smile on her lips. Ever since she sang Regret Message and had her breakdown in the hallway, Maka had been followed rather closely by Kami's ghost. At first Maka assumed it was because she was so riled up but after she calmed back down the ghost still stood there, talking to her and suggesting things she do.

She was starting to fear that she was losing it completely; fear had almost led her to confessing these visions to Tsubaki. Luckily enough, Blair, Patty and Liz had returned from their little shopping trip just as Maka opened her mouth to explain. She dropped the conversation and was avoiding being alone with Tsubaki as much as she could. She felt guilty, but her fear of being locked away and doped up with anti-psychotics was much greater than that.

Did that make her weak? No; it made her fit for survival.

Now she was settling into the limo next to Tsubaki. Blair was on her other side and Kid was directly across from her. On Tsubaki's other side was Soul and the Thompson sisters were on either side Kid. There was plenty of room so no one had to be touching and that made Maka feel much better. She glanced around and saw Kami's ghost crouched and getting in Soul's face. She twitched slightly and tried not to start yelling.

"He's a cutie, don't you think? Plus he's talented," Kami mused lightly, her lips turned up in a smile. She reached out and lightly pet Soul's head. "And his eyes and hair… An albino… Don't you just find that intriguing, Maka?" She giggled happily. Maka almost paled when she saw Soul shiver a bit.

Ghosts caused cold spots where they stood and touched.

'_Why are you doing this to me, Mother?'_ Maka cried out inside. Her mother then sighed and sat down on the other side of Liz, crossing one leg over the other and resting her head in the palm of one hand. A slight pout had taken place of the smile.

"Maka, you should listen to me," Kami said sternly. Maka glanced up at the vacant space and, though she always thought it was impossible, she actually glared at her mother. There was a look of shock on her mother's face. "You shouldn't look at me like that, young lady! I am your mother and you should respect me!"

"Um, Maka-Chan?" Blair asked suddenly, causing said girl to jolt and turn her head to her curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you glaring Liz-Chan's arm?"

"I wasn't glaring at her arm; I thought I saw a bug or something and was wincing a little to get a better look," She lied flawlessly. Although she hated lies, Maka was a master at the art; most likely a genetic thing she'd inherited from her scumbag father. After her words were said, Liz shrieked and threw herself into Kid, proclaiming that someone kill the bug immediately. Patty set to taking off one of her heels, laughing like the madwoman she was, while Tsubaki tried to settle the others down.

Soul watched the young singer from his peripheral vision, noting that the corner of her lip twitched a bit when she had mentioned the possible bug.

…

"Thank you for coming on such short notice geko (1)! I couldn't find anyone else who would accept such an early invitation for such a wonderful price geko!" The woman who greeted them gushed happily. She had long silver-blue hair that trailed to about her waist and navy blue eyes that were bubbling with excitement. She was wearing a ball gown that was pure black with white polka dots all over it. The thing that got to Soul, however, was that she had two black dots painted to either corner of her mouth to give it a more frog-like appearance. It also didn't help that they were currently in a room filled with frogs, all their eyes fixated on the strangers.

He heard of being an animal person, but this was a little ridiculous.

'_So we were her last resort,'_ Maka thought with mild disappointment. Either way, she was determined to put on a good show and make sure people took notice of their group. "It's our pleasure, really, Lady Eruka." She said, bowing politely. Everyone except Soul imitated the gesture immediately; Soul missed a beat until an unholy look from the group's ring leader reminded him the damage she could do with a leather-bound book. Maka put her pleasant smile and demeanor back on once he had bowed as well. "So you requested we play upbeat pieces that are good to dance to tonight, correct? Things that are viewed as a bit more romantic?"

"Oh, yes, geko! You see, my close friend Free is going to be attending tonight and… Well, I want him to know how I really feel geko! He's always been so good to me and I've… I've fallen head over heels for him geko!" She gushed, hands on her cheeks as they became dusted with pink.

'_Fool; he'll probably leave you for another woman,'_ Maka thought bitterly, though her smile stayed in place. She would, however, do herself to help accomplish this silly little love confession. "Our instruments are set up, correct? And you did get us a brass background as well, right?"

"Yes geko. It wasn't easy but mentioning that your pianist was none other than Soul Evans helped convince them to come geko," She said cheerfully. Soul twitched slightly, annoyed by this development, but decided to keep it to himself. He instead decided to hold a staring contest with a green frog that was set on a shelf across the room from him. It took three seconds for Soul to win.

"Excellent. I can promise you that tonight will be one of the best of your life," Maka said proudly. She then turned to the group. "Okay, you guys, we need to head to the ballroom and get everything settled. We need to finalize out set list and get the brass band's music all put together too." She said before leading her group out in a single file line.

They ran into a snag, however, in the shape of a lavender haired kid hovering in the doorway that led to the ballroom.

Maka skid to a stop, emerald spheres widening as she watched the other. The young individual was wearing all white in the form of a long sleeved top with a high collar and a pair of long white pants. It was all completed by black shoes that seemed to stand out a bit against the rest of the outfit. Pale blue eyes shifted from the ground to meet Maka's stare. "Chrona-Kun," Maka murmured quietly.

Soul looked between the pair, remembering what Kid had said.

"_Chrona-Kun was our original pianist," Kid had said with a sigh, "and he wasn't particularly normal. He came from a very strange home where his mother was always pressuring him to do better. There was probably a lot of violence used at home because, when he'd get flustered, Chrona-Kun would start acting out in violent ways. He would either hit himself or lash out at someone else. Maka was really good at getting him to settle back down and stay calm again. I think Chrona-Kun was in love with Maka but, then again, she was one of the first people to try and yank him from his dark little world."_

"_So what happened to get him booted out? I mean, if Maka was so good at handling him than things should have been fine, right?" Soul asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. Kid's eyes darkened a bit with sadness and Liz let out a small growl._

"_Not quite. One day, Maka was running a little late to rehearsal. Since she wasn't there yet, we didn't see much of a point in practicing yet," Kid continued on. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down to the floor. "Patty and Chrona have… Conflicting personalities, as I'm sure you could assume from what you've seen and heard. Patty was just doing what she usually does, being Patty, and Chrona just snapped. He pulled a knife out of seemingly nowhere and lunged at her. He was aiming for her side, most likely one of her lungs, but her arm was in the way. Maka arrived right after that and called for an ambulance for Patty. Then she told Chrona to leave and never come back. I… The only other time I've seen her so completely crushed was when her mother passed away."_

"_Sounds like Maka just overreacted, really," Soul scoffed lightly. Kid glanced up, glaring a bit at him. "She knew that kid wasn't all there in the head; she should have known better than to try and push him into a group of mostly normal people without real therapy. For a __**typical **__smart girl, that was a __**dumbass move**__." He said flatly._

_Although Soul probably didn't realize it, he had just made an enemy of Death the Kid._

"Hello, Maka-Chan," Chrona said in a shaky, nervous tone. He glanced at the other members of the group. "I assume the rest of you are well. I mean, you seem much better now that I'm gone. You didn't ever really need me, I guess."

"Chrona-Kun, it isn't-"Maka started frantically.

"Yup, pretty much," Soul jumped in, stepping up to the plate. Maka flinched at him and growled, opening her mouth to snap at him again. "I mean, why would they want someone who stabs people that annoy him when they can have a member of the Evans family instead?"

"I… I don't like you, I think," Chrona stated softly, glancing up at the silver haired male and then back down. It was as if the weight of Soul's gaze was too much for him to bear.

"You don't **think** you don't like me? Why don't you just pick a side and stick to it, huh?" Soul asked with a small sneer on his lips. He leaned forward and tilted his head so that Chrona had to look at him. "Are you gonna answer me?"

"Soul, back off!" Maka hissed angrily, swearing to herself that if he didn't listen to her she was going to Maka-Chop the shit out of him. He didn't know what he was up against; he should just trust her judgment.

"I don't know how to deal with it," Chrona whispered weakly, looking like he wanted to take a step back. Soul leaned in more, however, and flashed a mocking grin at the other boy.

"You're nothing but a whiny little bitch, huh?" He jeered. He then saw a flicker of fire in the boy's eyes and wasn't sure what happened. When he was suddenly being pulled back by his jacket and he registered Maka clenching the harsh silver of a blade in her hands, mere centimeters from his throat, he started to register it.

He had pushed the unstable boy a tad too far.

Maka ignored the sting as the blade made a mess of the palm of her hand. She was in a varying set of moods right now; pissed at Soul for not listening to her, horrified that Chrona had snapped to violence against someone else in public, in pain because her hand was now gouged open and bleeding everywhere. She decided to start with getting Chrona to go, then focus on her hand, and finally deal with the bastard whose life she'd just barely saved. "Chrona-Kun, I think it's time for you to go," She stated in a strong yet soft voice.

"I… I don't know… I… I can't think," Chrona stammered anxiously, eyes wide with horror at Maka's hand. In all their times together, Chrona had never lashed out against Maka before. She feared he was going to start seizing on the floor if something didn't snap him out of it.

"Chrona! Get over here!" A harsh female voice snapped out harshly. It did the trick and suddenly Chrona pulled his blade free (since Maka released it the second she heard his name called from another) and snapped it shut. He slipped it back into his pants pocket and twittered away without another word or glance.

"Maka-Chan! Your hand!" Blair declared and rushed over, eyes alive with panic. The other woman, however, was too busy glaring at the rather stunned Soul.

"When I tell you to do something, you **better fucking do it** from now on! You **got that**?" She screamed angrily, grabbing his tie with her uninjured hand and pulling him in close. They were nose to nose and, Dear God, the young man swore he saw the devil laughing manically at him in her eyes with how angry she was. He nodded, too worried about his well-being to really speak. She let go and then, with just her good hand, loosened his tie. She then yanked it from his neck and set to wrapping it around her cut hand. "Good. Now let's finish setting up for the evening." She huffed, stomping away. Tsubaki and Blair followed, both panicking about her injury, while the rather somber looking Thompson sisters followed them wordlessly. When walking past, Kid bumped Soul and sent him a glare that would have sent shivers down anyone else's spine.

Soul was too grateful that he'd worn a black tie tonight; blood stains wouldn't show up on that nearly as prominently as any other color.

…

Maka ended up being fine (since the cut wasn't as deep as it looked) and the show went on. Luckily, Liz had a pair of gloves in her violin case so she handed them over to cover their bases. Although the white cotton gloves didn't exactly match with her outfit, Maka could let it slide; she wasn't too concerned that people would be gazing at her hands anyway. Her mother's ghost was mingling amongst the guests, sending her thumbs up after every song depending upon how the crowd reacted. Finally they were at the last song of the evening as they were reaching the last half an hour of the party. The agreement they'd reached was that they'd play all night until the last half an hour so that they could mingle with guests, enjoy the buffet offerings and just rest after all their hard work. "Would Lord Free and Lady Eruka please come to the center of the dance floor?" Maka asked politely.

There was whispering and cheerful clapping as Eruka, blushing like mad, and a confused looking man followed her instructions. The man had dark brown hair that was trimmed in a crew-cut style. He was in a tuxedo, which seemed odd given that he had one eye patch and a tattoo that said "No future" in scraggly writing over the eye. Maka smiled lightly; not for the plan, but simply because she liked this song. "This last song is a special shout out to these two. Thank you for giving us the honor of playing for you this evening," She mused lightly before taking a breath. The rest of the group started up the song as she waited for her time.

_Sunny days keepin' the clouds away.  
>I think we're coming to a clearing and a brighter day.<em>

'_I certainly haven't been bored these last few days,'_ Soul thought as he plunked along on his piano. He smirked a bit to himself. _'In the last few days she's had a mental breakdown, beaten me with several heavy books and gotten herself gauged open to keep me from getting my neck slit; if that's the norm, she's set the bard pretty high to keep me interested from this point on. Plus they seem to get some interesting clients too.'_

_So far away. Still I think they say  
>The wait will make the heart grow stronger or fonder<br>I can't quite remember anyway._

Maka smiled a little bit as she watched the two dancing. Perhaps, in a small corner of her mind that till believed in love, this could end beautifully. Maybe they'd be perfect together and never stray. Maybe they could raise a family together; maybe their love was strong enough to survive the test of time. The critical realist in her head chimed in with a harsh "Doubtful!" and she pushed those thoughts aside.

_So if you're waitin' for love  
>Well it's a promise I'll keep.<br>If you don't mind believing that it changes everything  
>Then time will never matter.<em>

Kami slipped through the crowd and up to the stage. She then sat down on the edge near where Maka was perched with her microphone. "I robbed you of your fairytales, didn't I, Maka?" She sighed heavily. She leaned back on her hands and looked up at her daughter. "Always yelling things like 'Men are slobs' and "There's no such thing as love between a man and woman!' weren't good for you."

_Winter, Spring... is what love can truly bring.  
>Ice turns to water, water flows to everything.<br>You can lose your mind, maybe then your heart you'll find.  
>I hope you won't give up what's moving you inside.<em>

"I can understand why you snapped at me that day," Kami whispered softly. A small smile was on her lips and Maka tensed up slightly. "Perhaps those weren't the words you wanted to be the last you'd say to me but I think it was good. That's why I'm here, baby girl; I'm here to help lead you from the path I set you on."

_If the car won't start, when you turn the key  
>When the music comes on, all your cold, cold heart can do is skip a beat.<em>

'_Why? Dear God, why? I can't come undone here! I won't let myself come undone!'_ Maka screamed at herself, panic filling her up. Why now? Why was her mother's ghost bring this up now? She refused to let herself break; this was a professional job and she had to remain professional. She would simply have to sneak away and have her moment then. She could make; she would force herself to make it if she had to.

_It's a promise I'll keep  
>When you're waitin' for love.<br>If you don't mind believing that it changes everything  
>Then time will never matter. (2)<em>

Maka closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, forcing what little bit of inner Zen she had left to the surface. She then opened her eyes and smiled brightly, making sure to curtsy to the applauding crowd. "Thank you all so much for listening to us this evening! We hope to receive the opportunity to perform for you again!" She beamed, making sure to replace the microphone on the stand and tearing off for backstage.

Kami looked back at her sadly and sighed. "Maybe it's too late for me to change her mind," She mumbled sadly. She looked down and shook her head, knowing that tears would do her no good. After all, ghosts can't really cry.

…

Maka ended up slipping away to a balcony and sitting out there. It was a little cold out, as the seasons were beginning the slow change from summer heat waves to chilled autumn breezes, but she was forcing herself to endure it. She had cried for a little while but now, using one of her removed gloves, she was dabbing her eyes and trying to regather herself. She'd have to hunt Blair down and see if she had eye drops since her red eyes would be rather prominent in the right light. "Better get going," She mumbled, shivering badly and closing her eyes.

When there was something silky and warm weighing her shoulders down she looked up in shock.

Soul stood next to her, holding a clear fluted cup in one hand and the other shoved in his pocket. "You're pretty anti-social for a good who claims she wants to see these people again," He said calmly. Maka blinked a bit as she caught up to the situation and his words; Soul was wearing his long sleeved blouse while holding a glass (most likely Champaign) and making smug remarks. Meanwhile, she was there with his jacket over her shoulders and a jacked up hand because of him. It somehow seemed suddenly… Balanced, between them.

"Why did you give me your jacket?" She asked, slipping her arms into the large sleeves and tucking in the sides. If he was going to offer it to her, she'd be polite enough to take it. Plus it was so delightfully warm and snug, given the difference of size between them and the fact Soul had been wearing it for hours.

"You were shivering and I was getting a little toasty in there," He shrugged. He glanced at her then offered her the glass. "Want a sip? It's just apple juice; I brought it for you. I overheard some people say once that apple juice is good for your vocals chords (3)." Crimson eyes sparkled at her, but betrayed nothing else to her.

She found herself mustering up a small smile and taking the glass. "Thanks. That was really thoughtful of you," She said before taking a small sip. The cool liquid felt wonderful on her tired throat.

"I owe you a little," He said while leaning forward on the railing of the balcony. He grinned at her as she leaned her back against it, the two of them watching one another curiously. "So, are you going to reveal any more of your secrets to me?"

"Nope," She said calmly, closing her eyes and sipping her drink again. Soul laughed at this, and she could help but smile and peak one eye at him.

"I guess I can roll with that; I will figure you out at some point though," He said cheerfully. She laughed lightly back. She figured she could roll with them being a Rubik's cube to one another.

The two, however, didn't realize they were being watched.

"He's being pretty sweet to her; what's the big deal here, Kid?" Liz asked with a scowl, taking a sip of her red wine. One of her favorite things about their gigs was the varying beverages and meals that she normally didn't normally have access to personally enjoying. Ever since she and Patty started performing with Kid, they received better food but the cooks were still a little rough on them; they didn't like the favoritism going on.

"Yeah Kid; he's just being friendly," Patty agreed after swallowing a mouthful of red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The blonde, much to the **shock** of everyone, had a serious sweet tooth.

"He's trying to make it seem like they're friend to try and get information out of the rest of us to use against her later, most like," He said flatly. He didn't trust Soul; not only was he from a family that taught no self-reliance, but the family had made quite a few underhanded deals in the past. No one knew about it, but it had been leaked by a private investigator the young man had employed after the deal was struck.

"You think so?" Patty asked in mild surprise.

"Kid," Liz said sternly. He glanced over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about this? If you are, we'll help you, but you'd better be one-hundred percent on this. We need to be on our best to get this handled right."

"I am. Maka needs our help; she tries to act tough and like she isn't easily tricked but… She's a little more naïve than she'd ever admit. She needs help from people who are a little more disillusioned than her," He said calmly. Kid adored Maka; ever since they were young, she'd been like the sister he never had. They were as close as kin; he'd lend her books she couldn't find without him and she would indulge in his little OCD habits. He felt he had to guard her from possible threats. "You two have my permission to, if Evans should pose a bigger threat than I currently anticipate, use any amount of force you find necessary."

A wicked grin twisted up on both girls' lips. "We completely understand, Kid-Kun," The turn mused in perfect unison.

'_Be prepared, Soul Evans; I will not let you get away with using any of us, especially Maka, just to better your own damn situation,'_ Kid thought as he turned to get himself a beverage. All this planning and thinking had left him quite parched.

End

(1) Geko – In the manga (since I haven't actually watched the anime) Eruka frog says "geko" at the end of her sentences. I didn't want to cut that out so I added it; just figured I should add this in case she doesn't do it in the anime.

(2) _Sunny Days_ – Jars of Clay. Although all the songs were wonderful and have been added to my playlist for writing, this was my absolute favorite of the songs Shenzuul suggested to me. I love the flow and the sound of this piece. :3

(3) It is proven that apple juice actually is good for the vocal chords. Two of my best friends were/ are choir students and I myself spent a semester in choir during high school (although my heart has always been with my orchestra brethren- I played the viola xD). Before concerts the choir teacher would have us quote Shakespeare and drink apple juice.

Notes before I go attend to some important business:

More love from you guys = More love from me~! You guys are so good to me and it makes me love doing this even more~!

I have another poll. Please check it out, all~!

The scene with Soul and Maka may not have been as romantic as I think it could have been, but I think it's a fluffy scene that shows their gradual development into a relationship. It'll take some time before we get to scenes with heavy romance but I'll try to throw a few more fluffy bits like that in every now and again.

Everyone in this story, aside for basically Tsubaki and Black*Star, will have ulterior motives for what they do. Why are those two spared? Because Tsubaki's too kind and Black*Star… I'm not even going to waste my time explaining why he wouldn't have ulterior motives. What about everyone else's' motives? We know Maka, Kid, and the Thompson sisters but what about Soul, Chrona, Medusa and even Blair and Wes? You'll have to wait and see.

Sorry this was a little late; lots of homework and also my laptop got hit with Malware. Luckily enough, my sister's bf saved it from getting fired but I was really far behind on my updates for my computer software too. It took almost a whole day for it to get caught up!

Next chapter:

Maka reflects on her childhood and realizes how much it sucked. Soul accidently complains to his mother about a few… Concerns he has involving the group. I again reward you all with a special prize for reviewing; next chapter will have twenty percent more Stein!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Shout out to OhMyGoshsickles for the suggestions on two new songs~! I'll check them out and let you know what I think~!

Chapter Six

Soul groaned lowly as he watched Kid, Patty, Liz, Tsubaki and Black*Star leave for the day. Half way through their rehearsal, Black*Star had busted in through a window (effectively claiming his third victim made of glass) and "taken charge like the leader that he was". Needless to say, not everyone was on the blue haired male's decision and not everyone was going to stay quiet about their views.

This resulted in an all out riot taking place.

Black*Star and Maka immediately began a war over who was truly in charge. Because the window had been broken, destroying the symmetry of the room, blood had gushed from Kid's mouth and he fell to the ground. Liz had jumped onto Maka's side, shouting insults and arguments at the young orphan who'd interrupted the otherwise peaceful practice. Patty had taken to laughing and pointing at the unconscious male on the floor while Tsubaki tried worriedly to break up the argument. Soul had decided to stay a safe distance away from the fray and remain perched at his piano.

"Seems like today was rather… Energetic," His mother commented at dinner. Every night they had family dinners, minus Maka. She preferred to spend her time in her room so Soul had arranged for her meals to be taken to her when the family sat down to eat. So far, his parents seemed unaffected by her lack of attendance and he himself found it odd; didn't she want to observe them to write a book?

"Yes, well, everyone has their own opinions and they clash. Plus it doesn't help that Black*Star decided to jump in unannounced," Soul said blandly, pushing a piece of broccoli around his plate. Masumi made a small noise of interest at this.

"And what do you mean by them all clashing?" She asked, peering up at him through her bangs. He met her gaze, a match between crimson spheres starting up, while Wes and William ate and watched quietly.

"Just their personalities, Mother. It isn't anything all that difficult to deal with," He said, plopping the tiny green vegetable in his mouth and chewing. The way he figured, maybe if he dropped it maybe his mother would.

Then again, things were never really that simple.

"Sounds like you need to establish a leadership role in your group," She said calmly, plopping a forkful of food into her own mouth. Soul glared up at her a little bit.

"We have. Maka, being the singer and all, is the leader of the group. She's good at making decisions, she keeps everyone on line, and she knows everyone's personality well enough that she knows how to motivate them effectively," He answered. He paused, looking down at the chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli on his plate. Even if she did occasionally give in to petty threats, Maka still kept things together. Whether it be for fear or respect, things worked out for them all in the end.

As long as a wrench, such as Black*Star, didn't get tossed in the clockwork.

"That girl? She's practically a commoner and you let her boss you around? Where's your sense of pride, Soul? You're an Evans, for pity's sake!" Masumi snapped worriedly, an annoyed scowl on her lips as she eyed her son. He glared down at his plate, his fork forgotten and his fingers clenched on the tablecloth.

"William, please, talk some sense into your son!" She sighed loudly, massaging her temples with her index fingers.

"Maka can handle this all just fine! Things are organized under her lea-" He was silenced when his father held up one hand.

"Soul," William began calmly, "have you considered looking into a formal instructor? It sounds like you could use the aid of someone with more experience than those of your fellow ensemble members in heightening your abilities."

"An instructor? We don't need-" Soul snapped but was cut off by a cheerful squeal from his mother.

"Oh, that's a splendid idea! A conductor would be a perfect instructor for them!" She gushed eagerly. Her eyes sparkled with the kind of joy one would see with a kid in a candy store. "And I know just the guy! He's a little eccentric but he's a real genius! Since his group is performing here this week, I'll see about paying him to stay here and help with your group. After all, having a world renowned conductor teaching you will help you get more well-known."

Soul just groaned and shook his head. How did this all turn so wrong on him? He couldn't even try to explain how things were without his mother freaking out! And then his father, being the impassive and rather lazy man that he was, would just give into Masumi's wants without a second thought. He had tossed Soul under the bus, yet again, just to be free of his wife's whining. "Fine, but is this causes a fight within the group you're going t have to deal with it yourself, Mother," He stated blandly. He then stood calmly. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be retiring for the evening."

"You barely ate anything, Soul," Wes commented calmly. He glared at his brother over his shoulder as he headed toward the door.

"I don't really have much of an appetite," He said before throwing the door open and slamming it behind him. It was then he noticed the figure hunched beside the door, a tape recorder in one hand and the other scratching down some notes in a very familiar notebook. "What are you doing?"

Familiar emeralf orbs snapped up at him, alive with surprise, before she stumbled back up straight. Her notebook clattered to the floor, along with her pen, and a small desperate grasping spell for the tape recorder took place. Finally, both hands clasped securely upon the little device, she glared up at him with a small blush alight on her face. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting more research for my book,"

"Why don't you just join us for dinner then?" Soul asked curiously. At this, she scoffed as she began recollecting her items from the ground. She glanced at him, her notebook on her thighs as she crouched, with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you really think they'd talk about what they do if I was around? Your parents are desperate to keep their reputation spotless and, therefore, need to censor what they say around me," She said as she rose, resting her notebook in the crook of her arm and placing the tape recorder atop it. She then pointed her pen at him. "You don't gossip about someone when they're in the room, right? Your parents are the same way. Your mother would never admit to thinking I'm a piece of flaky trash if I was sitting right there." He flinched a bit at the bluntness of her statement.

"Uh, look, my mother is just-"

"It's fine, Soul. And also, thanks," She said with a small smile while turning on her heels. He blinked a few times as she continued to walk off. "Not many people would be willing to argue with their parents over people of lower upbringing. I appreciate that."

He watched her go then shook his head and walked away as well. _'What a weirdo. But then again, she does keep things interesting,'_ He thought before yawning. He decided he's need to take a shower to help relax. Yeah, a shower sounded really nice right now.

…

It had been at her fifth birthday party that she realized just how bad things really were with her parents. Despite being a young child, she had seen the way her parents avoided talking too much when she was around. Some nights she would wake up and hear them yelling at one another. She would hear things like "What about Maka and I this?" or "What about our family?" that from her mother. From her father, she would hear "Keep it down, Maka's asleep!" or "Can we discuss this in the morning?" She would pretend not to know, but then she would talk to her friends about it at the Death family manor. Kid, Liz, Patty and Tsubaki always helped her better understand everything going on around her.

Back to the matter at hand of her fifth birthday party.

The celebration was being held at a small pizza place with games and tickets to keep the little ones amusement. Shinigami-Sama, or also known as Marquis Death, was situated at a long table chatting with Kami and Spirit animatedly. He looked almost identical to his young son, only his three white rings went all the way around his head and his eyes were a bit softer than his son's. "It seems Kid-Kun is actually enjoying himself," Shinigami-Sama commented with a smile as he watched the children. Kid was currently pointing at a few games that were not symmetrical to one another.

Kami and Spirit both sweat-dropped and put on tense smiles at this, unable to point out the fact that his son was expressing OCD.

Little Maka smiled as she twirled in her new red party dress. It was in a deep shade of maroon with matching ribbons keeping her hair in her usual pigtails. Her eyes were alive with joy as she stopped her spins and looked over at her parents. They both looked at her and smiled, eyes brimming with pride.

Sadly, nothing can ever be perfect in Maka's life.

It was then that a rather busty woman in a tight white blouse and pitch black skirt trotted up to the table. She had long, wavy blonde hair and bright green eyes. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a small pout on her lips. "Spirit-Kun, why did you leave me waiting? You showed up, ordered a meal, and then **ran off**! You're lucky I remembered you told me your daughter's party was today at this place, otherwise I **never** would have found you! And who's this woman, your ex-wife?" The girl demanded sulkily.

Spirit visibly tensed as he looked to his wife, whose eyes were wide with horror and disbelief. "Spirit, **you did not**! Tell me you **did not** plan a date with some skank on the same day as our daughter's birthday party!" Kami stated sternly.

"Oh, he was eating with me over at the restaurant right across the street!" She huffed angrily. She then blinked and raised an eyebrow. "And what are you so irked about it? You're his ex-wife; what do you care if he dates?" Little Maka blinked a bit as she walked over, completely distracted from spending time with her friends at this new little development.

"I'm upset because, for one, it's **his only daughter's birthday** and he decides to try and have a date at the same time! And, second, **we aren't divorced**! We're still unhappily married!" Kami snapped angrily, standing from her seat angrily. Shinigami-Sama twitched and perked up, spotting Maka watching a few feet behind the foreign intruder.

"Um, Kami-Chan, maybe you-"

"Spirit, you really have no shame!" She yelled, not even listening to the other male speak. The inky haired male groaned worriedly, looking between the young girl and her mother fretfully. "I should have listened to my mother and never should have married you! All I've gotten is nothing but a bunch of responsibilities I didn't even want! All you've ever done is ruined everything; you ruined my life! I could have had a future, a career! Instead I got stuck with nothing but you and a child!"

"**Kami**!" Shinigami-Sama snapped as loudly as he could, slamming his hands down on the table and standing abruptly. The three other adults turned to him in alarm and he sighed lightly. He indicated Maka with his head, causing them all to look over there instead.

She stood there, hands fisted around the skirt of her dress, with tears in her large jade irises. "Oh, Maka-Chan," Kami whispered shakily, rushing over and kneeling in front of her daughter. She made sure to shove the other woman a bit in the process. She wrapped her arms around her daughter just as she let the tears fall and started to wail. "I didn't mean what I said, baby girl. Mommy loves you so much, Maka-Chan. No matter what your mama will always love you, darling." She cooed delicately, one hand rubbing her daughter's back while the other kept her pinned close to her.

Her words meant very little though and were just pretty little lies; pretty little lies that would turn to daggers for older Maka. Pretty little daggers made of pretty little lies that would leave their scars with those razor shape edges on her heart.

After that, Maka never had another birthday party by her own request.

…

"Maka, should you try to get some rest?" Kami asked politely as she hovered by her daughter's desk. Maka had sat there, frozen and thoughtful, for a good twenty minutes now. It was worrying her mother quite a bit. When her daughter blinked and looked at her she smiled. "You're had a busy day and you need your beauty sleep."

"Why? So that I can look good and become someone's wife?" She spoke the words as if they were toxic on her tongue. Kami twitched a little bit and sighed, letting herself fall back against the wall.

"That's not what I mean and you know it," She said patiently. She knew she was going to have issues with getting her daughter to see things her way; after all, she had programmed the younger girl into quite a fearsome force. "Besides, what's so wrong with marriage?"

"Do you really need to ask me that? Look where your marriage got you; not to mention me," She scoffed flatly. Kami blinked, catching the note of resentment in her daughter's voice. What exactly had the other been thinking about during that strange pause? "Nothing but him and a child, right, Mother? That's what you Papa all that time ago."

"Maka, I said all that out of-" Kami stumbled out frantically but was silenced by her daughter's glare.

"I want to do more with my life, Mother. There's nothing you can do to change my opinion. You didn't make me this way; I became this way through observations of my own. So you can move on and just accept that you should have no guilt over anything," She said blandly. Maka then set her studies notebook aside and got out her poetry one. "Now, if you don't mind, we're going to need some new lyrics soon. I need to get started on all of that." She coughed a little bit as she pulled out her pain, ignoring the little tickle in her throat to focus on her work.

And that was the end of that conversation.

…

Masumi Evans flashed a polite smile to the doorman who helped her inside. It was late in the evening and, for a woman unescorted, it was even more risky. There had been quite a few muggings on this side of town recently. However, Masumi had to speak with the eccentric conductor who called this abandoned theater his home for the week.

No matter how grand her distaste for the lowlife areas of Death City was she would get this man recruited. She walked down a dusty hallway, biting back a cry of fear when she saw a cobweb with a large looking spider resting on it. She perked up as she entered the threshold and saw a large choral group standing on risers. One of them stood off the risers and before a microphone, clearly the leader.

The woman was wearing a long sleeved black dress that hugged her form and accented how beautiful her body was. She also had matching black heels to go with it. What got to Masumi was that, despite her beautiful face and matching body, the woman had an eye patch over where her right eye should be. She tossed a few strands of her long golden hair over her shoulder, took a deep breath, and began leading the group along.

A pair of hands could be seen, peeking just over the edge of the stage, setting the tempo and starting the background music.

_Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da  
>ari a natus late adua<em>

She blinked a few times, not too sure what to think. Was this a foreign language? Was this just random noises pieced together?

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te  
>a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te<br>a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te la-te-a_

'_Yes,'_ She thought suddenly, _'it must be just random sounds stitched together. He is, after all, called the Patchwork Conductor. So the blonde must be his associate, Marie Mjolnir, the Seamstress Soprano.'_ She leaned a bit more against the doorframe, taking in the bizarre yet appealing sound.

_Ariadiamus late ariadiamus da  
>ari a natus late adua<em>

Though she didn't think so, Masumi had been noticed by the young singer. Though discretely, she kept one copper colored orb fixated on the other woman.

_A-ra-va-re tu-e va-te  
>a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te<br>a-ra-va-re tu-e va-te la-te-a_

'_With that hair and those eyes she must be a member of the Evans family,'_ Marie thought as she closed her eyes and just let the music flow. After all this time, she had learned just how to do this or that to earn herself Stein's praise to the point it came as second nature. _'But what could the Evans family possibly want? Or, better yet, what is she doing so far from her home?'_

_A-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we  
>a-na-ma-na coo-le ra<br>a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la...  
>a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la...<br>ah-ya-doo-ah-eh  
>a-na-ma-na coo-le ra-we a-ka-la...<br>a-ya-doo-ah-eh...  
>a-ya doo a-ye<br>a-ya doo a-ye (1)_

The hands suddenly twirled at the wrists, implying they stop. Everyone fell silent at once as he stood, cranking the bizarre screw that stuck out of his head. "That's all out guest is going to get for free, everyone. Take a break, chop chop," He said, clapping his hands loudly. Everyone but Marie left, grumbling and groaning as they went.

Stein was a strange man, to say the least. He had a cigarette between his lips paired with a scowl. His hair was grey, but not because he was old; he was only in his thirties or so. Instead of a suit or the typical gear of a conductor, he wore a lab coat riddled with stitch marks and a turtle neck-jeans combo underneath. He pushed his glasses up his nose and grinned lightly at the approaching woman. "What can we do for you, Lady Evans?"

"I have a proposition you would be foolish to refuse," She said bluntly. Marie scowled a little at her attitude but kept her mouth shut. She knew it'd be best to let Stein do the tasking. "But it's only extended to you, Stein. Not your somewhat lacking associate here." She said, giving Marie a once over before laughing a bit.

Marie's eye twitched and it took all her self-control (and repeating the steps from her anger management classes) to not punch the other woman right in the jaw. "I'm sorry, but I don't work without Marie," Stein said bluntly, glaring through his glasses at the rich woman before him. "I can't rightly be the Patchwork Conductor without my Seamstress Soprano, can I?" He gestured to her with a smile on his lips.

Marie giggled and Masumi scowled.

"Will you at least hear me out?"

"Fine. But, again, unless there's a way Marie can join in the fun you'll be wasting your breath," He said before sitting down. He smirked at her, a glint in his eyes unnerving the high society lady. "Now, please, begin speaking."

End

(1) _Adeimus_ by Enya even though they did not complete the piece. Masumi had to go and ruin it for everyone. :(

Notes before I go-go:

STEIN~! Also, this story will have SteinxMarie in it. Don't like? Please don't whine. I just think they're perfect together.

Had some more background for Maka. And Kami's ghost is still around. What's up with that?

And I'm about to double post this, since it's in Kinda Amazing too, but you can all deal since this needs to be extended. Still got that poll up on my account. Please check it out and give me your opinion. Also, to anonymous reviewers, just say which one you would like to see in your review and I'll remember it when I do the final score.

Next Chapter:

Soul plays a fun game in order to learn more about the violent singer he's becoming rather fond of. Maka learns that banter with a rich albino is the best medicine when suffering from a fever. The rest of the crew is subjected to their new musical conductors; Doctor Franken Stein and Marie Mjolnir.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, to –the killer imperfectionist- I was just wondering if there were any songs by _Secondhand Serenade_ and _The Script_ that you'd recommend I check out in specific? Just wanted to see if there were, cause if not I'll just look around at what I can find. :)

Chapter Seven

He knew something was wrong the minute he woke up; one glance at the clock and, realizing that it was nearly nine o'clock, he had scrambled to his feet frantically. Normally, Maka would have come into his room, brandishing a thick novel, by this time for a wake-up call. If he ignored her polite and delicate prods, she would result to Maka-Chopping the hell out of him until he scrambled free of his newfound quilt prison until he was yelling at her to stop.

Sleeping in, though a beautiful thing, was not comforting at all; this break in the routine sent up multiple red alarms.

He darted down the hall (after having his usual battle with his comforter) to Maka's room. A maid was just exiting, a worried frown on her lips. "Hey, what's going on?" He called loudly, causing the poor woman to jump and squeak. She shot him a sharp glanced and breathed a small sigh.

"Young Master, please do keep your voice down. Miss Maka has a small fever and a terrible cough; she was up half this night unable to sleep. She's resting now, but you must stay quiet so as to not disturb her," She explained in a delicate yet urgent tone of voice.

"So even the Singer of Steel can get knocked down by something as basic as a cold, huh? Not as cool as I thought," He scoffed nonchalantly. He lifted his hands and rested them behind his head, making a small snorting noise. "Oh well, I guess I can let this flaw slide." He said, turning to walk away.

"Thank you, Young Master," The maid said patiently before turning and leaving as well. He walked slowly, waiting until he heard the somewhat rushed clack of her shoes against the tile disappear, to back track. He dropped his arms to his side as he headed over, looking around to make sure the maid was gone, before carefully opening the door a crack. He slowly crept into the darkened room, making sure to not release so much as a small whistle through his nose.

He looked around, using what little light had slipped in through the drawn currents and underneath the door to light his way. Maka's room was a little smaller than his own (which was the size of a master room, with an adjacent bathroom) but there was almost too much space. All she had requested with a twin sized bed, a modest oak dresser and a matching oak desk. The desk was pressed to the wall beside her bed, positioned so it was by the foot of her bed, while the dresser was opposite the bed. It was sent as such, he assumed, because the closet door was the door to the immediate right of the mentioned furniture. He could see the shadow of an item on the desk and, because he was an impulsive fool like that, he let his curiosity get the better of him and he headed over to investigate.

He settled into the desk chair easily enough, acting as if he owned the place, and looked down at the journal before him. At first he thought it was the journal she wrote her observations of his family (or, in reality, just him) in, but then he realized the pattern was different. _'This must be that book of poetry they turn into lyrics,'_ He thought in slight surprise. He was then delighted. _'May as well see what sort of heat-wrenching, angsty crap we'll be forced to perform next.'_

Soul had looked through his sheet music and, aside for maybe four or five songs, they all seemed to be terribly depressing songs. Hell, he was surprised they had enough music to pull of that gig the other night! Then again, they had sped a few pieces up and Maka made a few last minute changes, so he guessed that was a little more understandable. But what those songs implied came out loud and clear; Maka Albarn was not a happy person. And Soul was determined to find out why. He opened the journal and flipped through to find the most recently written song, blinking a bit as he started to read it.

_A spotlight's shining brightly  
>On my face<br>And I can't see a thing  
>And yet I feel you , looking my way.<em>

Now, this was something a little different for the girl he had come to recognize as their group leader. From what he could tell, all Maka's cheery songs were last-minute write ups to keep from getting booted for being too mopey. The song still did have time to hold true to its writer's usual taste, however, and so he decided to press on.

_An empty stage  
>With nothing but this girl<br>Who's singing this simple melody  
>And wearing her heart on her sleeve<br>And right now..._

He was a little surprised, but his fingers began to lightly tap into a tempo, adapting to what the poem was portraying. One hand held the journal up, tilted to a degree so that he could see the words better, and the other began shifting as if following along on the keys of his piano. He wasn't sure if this sensation was terrifying or thrilling but he did understand something suddenly. He knew one of the other reasons Maka was the leader and why they didn't replace her with a more sexually appealing girl; she had a talent for writing that could turn quite the profit.

_I have you  
>For a moment I can tell I've got you<br>Cause your lips don't move  
>And something is happening<br>Cause your eyes tell me the truth  
>I've put a spell over you.<em>

The song had a bit of a bittersweet sentiment to it in his opinion. It seemed like a song about unrequited love to him. Was it possible that, after their little run in with Chrona the other day, she had written this song about him? The thought made his hand twitched and his narrow a little bit, jealously prodding at his mind. He quickly tossed it aside. What did he have to be jealous of? From what Kid had told him, they hadn't been in a romantic relationship. Then again, Kid wasn't his biggest fan; he could have lied because he didn't want Soul to know the full truth.

_Beauty emanates from every word that you say  
>And capture the deepest thoughts<br>In the purest and simplest of ways  
>But you see<br>I'm not that graceful like you  
>Nor am I as eloquent<br>But just a simple melody  
>Can change the way that you see me<br>And right now.._

He scoffed a bit, reassuring himself that this song could not be about Chrona. After all, Chrona was an unsure mess. A voice in the back of his head, one he was choosing to try and ignore, argued that maybe Maka had a thing for weird guys. Considering who she worked with to make music, that thought might not be far off but he again refused to face it. He wanted to think that Maka was the most normal (because he had a hunch Tsubaki liked Black*Star a little more than friends, and that concept made her rather abnormal) in the group aside from himself and that, if only because of that, his growing fondness for her was rationalized.

_I have you  
>For a moment I can tell I've got you<br>Cause your lips don't move  
>And something is happening<br>Cause your eyes tell me the truth  
>I've put a spell over you.<em>

Soul didn't realize it, but as he read those lyrics there was another person watching him. Kami sat beside her daughter on the bed, making sure that the rag the maid put on her head was still cool. "What kind of a person are you, Soul Evans?" She asked aloud, looking down at her child's face. She smiled lightly and continued, despite knowing he would not hear her. "Will you be the one to cure my baby, free her of the curse I placed on her over all those years? I certainly hope so; Maka is far from a damsel in distress but she could still use a little support." She looked up again to see Soul had resumed his reading. "How rude." She said dryly, trying to amuse herself.

_All my life I stumble  
>But up here I am just perfect<br>Perfect as I'll ever be... (1)_

"Hmm. Pretty good," He mumbled, shutting the notebook and leaning back in the chair. Kami chuckled at how he tried to play it off that he was unimpressed. She went to move a strand of hair from the girl's face and Maka whimpered, feeling the cold patch from her mother's ghostly presence, and Soul looked up. Briefly, he and Kami locked eyes. And though he couldn't see her, he had a strange sensation of being watched.

He got up and headed over, checking to see if Maka was awake yet. He watched, a bit surprised, as her lids lifted over tired looking moss tinted orbs. "What are you doing here?" She coughed out lightly, fingers curling around her blanket.

"The maid said you were sick; I came to see if you were faking it to get out of our first rehearsal with our new instructor. It's always the goody-two-shoes like you who bail out on the challenging stuff, after all," He said, smirking at her lightly. He made sure to keep his tone light and teasing, so as to not offend her.

She giggled lightly and then coughed into her blankets, making a small noise of discomfort. "Don't make me laugh, you jerk," She grumbled with a small whimper. He nodded and glanced over at her desk, making sure it was in the same order he found it in, then back at her.

"Do you want me to get you some water or anything?" He offered. She shook her head in response and nuzzled deeper into the blankets with a content little sigh. He then looked at the ceiling before grinning at her. "Do you want to play a game?"

"That depends," She started out, voice still groggy but suspicious all the same, "what type of game we're talking about exactly."

"A little parroting game," Soul stated. He pulled the chair from the desk over so that he and Maka could speak easier. "I'll say something I like and then, if you like it too, you'll repeat the sentence back the exact same way I said it. If not, you'll change it from like to dislike. We can also state facts about our families or friends and it works the same way. Simple enough, right?"

"Is this an attempt to learn more about me? If so, you're not very good at being a sleuth," She stated blandly, hiking the covers up a little more so that only from her eyes up was visible. He could still see a coating of suspicion in her eyes. "And how do I even know that you'll tell the truth?"

"Well how will I know if you're telling the truth?" He rebuked, making her blink a few times in surprise. She then glared a bit, as if annoyed he may have revealed some part of her plans. "It's our own decisions to be honest or not. That's part of the fun of this game; seeing what the other is honest about in the long term."

"… I guess this game could be a little interesting," She grumbled lightly, coughing into her blankets again. She burrowed back into her bed, eyes shut, and made a small noise at him to start up.

"Let's see here, where to start," He trailed lightly, tapping his chin as he put some thought into it. He couldn't start out too bold, or Maka might pull one of her many books out and attack him. And, given that she wasn't feeling up to 100 percent right now, he thought that would be a bad idea. "Well, my favorite color is blue."

"Well, my favorite color is orange," She responded after a second. She kept her eyes closed, as if that helped her from revealing too much to him, but he decided to give her that much.

"Huh, that's weird. For some reason you strike me as a pink or purple kind of person," He said with a nod. She still didn't open her eyes. "Well, okay, you're turn."

"My favorite animals are anything in the cat family; house cats, tigers, or lions. If it is a member of the feline family, I have a soft spot for it," She announced, a small smile coming to her lips. He smiled as well, knowing that she was telling the truth just by that look.

"My favorite animals are turtles," He said, trying his hardest to not sound too flustered about it. He usually life about that little fact because… Well, think about it. Not many people think that turtles are all that cool. Most people would assume that someone like him would like wolves or bears or something else with face-tearing ability.

"I could see that," She said casually with a small giggle. When he stayed silent she peeked one eye open and looked at him. "You're cool in the real sense of the word, Soul; meaning that you wouldn't fall into some silly little cliché that cool guys like big, bad animals."

He had to smirk at this. "I guess you aren't as bad as I thought," He said, leaning his hands behind his head and tilting the chair back a bit. Kami, still present but being quiet for once, shook her head and tsked about how he'd hurt himself if he fell over. "Okay, my turn again. My favorite foreign food is Japanese; sushi pretty much rocks my socks off."

"My favorite foreign food is Japanese; sushi pretty much rocks my socks off," Maka parroted perfectly with a small scowl on her lips. Soul had to snicker at the expression she made, as if repeating what he said perfectly was physically troublesome to her. She seemed to shake it off pretty quickly, though. "I'm actually Japanese, myself. My mother grew up out there until she came here with her family and met my father."

"That's pretty wicked. I knew you had a splash of some foreign blood in you," Soul beamed lightly. He was grateful she had offered that up; it helped him ease into the subject of family. He knew about Chrona, now, but he also knew there was more to her "delicate" psyche that must stem from her home life. "Okay. I haven't had a family member pass away yet in my life time," He said calmly. He then let out a small chuckle. "I'm actually kind of a grandma's boy, no matter how lame that might sound."

Maka opened her eyes slowly and looked at him, eyes void of emotion. There was a sudden tension in the air that made Soul feel he was suffocating, that if he didn't leave something would snap and that would be the end of that. And what, exactly, was that? He wasn't too sure, but he just knew that it was important. "My only remaining relative alive is my father but, in all actuality, I'm practically all alone," She said gruffly before turning over so her back was to him.

"Maka, lo-"

"Can you just… Go, please?" Maka cut him off sharply. She glared at the wall, biting back bitter tears and trying hard not to cough from the struggle. "I need to get my rest and you should probably go to rehearsal."

"What fun would it be without you?" He answered, keeping his tone light and calm, but also being earnest. There was something about this girl that set a spark alive in everyone (including Black*Star) that Soul had never seen one person do. And, to be honest, he somehow felt better when she was near him. He knew it was a little crazy, but it was exactly how he felt inside.

So he sat there, just listening to the silence of the room and keeping the sick girl from feeling truly alone.

And, maybe, it was better that way for the pair of them.

…

Stein looked at the five youths in the room curiously. Marie stood a few feet behind him, a bright smile on her lips. "Lady Evans told me there are six of you in the group. So, who exactly is missing and what do they play?" He asked as he pushed up his glasses a little more on his nose.

The darkest haired woman stepped forward. "Actually, Dr. Stein, Black*Star isn't a member of the band," She said, gesturing to the blue haired brat whom Stein had back-handed into a wall shortly after arriving. The shrimpy punk had gotten up in the older male's face and, having the common sense to know that the other could not be reasoned with, the taller had decided to force him out of the way with physical ability.

He just hoped that Masumi didn't take the money to repair the wall out of he and Marie's paychecks.

"Maka is our singer but she isn't here because she has a fever and needs her rest. Soul is our pianist and we're not actually too sure where he is," She tacked on calmly, perking up and releasing a small sigh of relief when she saw Black*Star hobbling his way back over to the rest of the group.

"Well I'm sure he'll find his way here eventually," Stein stated before smirking deviously. Marie giggled and locked the door, sensing what her conductor had in mind. The children in the room all flinched and tensed at this. "Let's begin with introductions, okay?" He said while pulling out a scalpel.

…

Masumi Evans came to a sudden realization as she looked at the tattered remains of what was once Soul's practice room; ever since Maka Albarn and her crew showed up, things tended to get broken a lot more often around the house.

End

_(1) Spell_ by Marie Digby, as recommended to me by OhMyGoshsickles. I loved both songs and will probably use _505_ at a later point in this story~!

Notes before I leave to tend to business:

Sorry this chapter was short; between work, preparing for putting in new carpet, being busy and having to see the dentist, my week was a little hectic and I just wanted to give you all a little something as a treat. Also, my next update may be a little late as well. I go in on Thursday/Friday to get all four of my wisdom teeth and three others removed and will be hopped up on Vicodin for a few days. I'll try to do what I can before then, but I will not post until about next Wednesday(the 8th)/Thursday(the 9th) even if I finish them before I go in (Friday, depending on how my healing is going).

Do you hate Soul's mommy yet? Because you will, by the time this story is over.

I'll leave the poll on my account until my next update; after that, I'll take it down and tally up the votes. If you haven't voted yet, hop to it! :D

Next Chapter:

Maka realizes that she had no idea what the word "humiliation" meant until she met Doctor Franken Stein. Soul realizes that he actually does have a caring bone in his body… And shortly after realizes it drops his coolness a good 5 percent. Stein decides that maybe he should listen to Marie and try a more "delicate" approach in handling his new test sub- I mean, new musicians.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Thanks for getting back to me, –the killer imperfectionist-~! I actually know one of the songs you recommended and planned on using it this chapter so that worked out well~! I'll still check out those other suggestions and most likely make use of them later as well~! ;D

Chapter Eight

Maka ended up needing two days of strict bed rest before she was back on her feet. Soul spent both days sitting with her though she had taken up the task of adamantly ignoring him. Even on the way to rehearsal, as he tried doing everything from apologizing to pushing her buttons, he was unable to get anything to change in the stoic mask she had slipped on. When the door opened, Patty and Blair burst out and latched on to the petite blonde happily. "Maka-Chan!" They both squealed, almost knocking her over.

"Hey, you two. How are you?" Maka giggled, her smile lighting up her features and her arms wrapping around them both. Soul was a little offended that she was being so cheery to everyone else, but then again he decided that they weren't the ones that had pushed her buttons while playing a would-be harmless game.

The big thing was that he could tell she wasn't lying; he somehow felt there'd been a thin wire of trust between them and he may have cut it with that little game.

"I was so worried about you nyah~!" Blair whined loudly, pressing her lips to Maka's forehead. She had a pout on her lips. "The maids said I wasn't allowed to visit you while you were sick! They were so mean to Blair!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Blair. I'll make sure to let those maids know that, if I get sick again, you're allowed to see me if I'm awake. You're basically my only family, after all," Maka said sincerely, a frown taking the place of her smile. Soul slid over to the piano and got himself situated, ignoring the girls now all a twitter with chatter. Kid glared at him slightly from his position a few feet away.

"I don't know what you said or did to her, but I can tell Maka's upset about something," He said flatly in a quiet voice. Soul glanced up at him curiously, still scowling. "If you've overstepped your boundaries, I suggest you get used to this chilly atmosphere. You'll be experiencing it from everyone else in the group soon enough."

"Whatever you say," He scoffed and flipped through his sheet music, checking for new songs. He saw a few and blinked, realizing these were popular tunes that almost everyone who knew about music was familiar with. He realized, with a dark shudder, that things might not go well today.

There were classical songs that required training and understanding to perform; both things that Maka was incapable of really doing successfully.

The door swung open and in walked their new instructors. Marie was wearing a black dress with her hair tied up in a yellow ribbon. The left strap of the dress had yellow flowers sewn all along it. She was smiling and had her usual eye patch on. Stein was wearing his usual lab coat, sweat and jeans like he had the other three days. The only difference was that today he had three binders tucked under his arm. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose and smirked lightly. "So you are Soul Evans and Maka Albarn, the two performers who have been playing hooky the last two days," He chuckled lightly.

"Ah, sorry about that, sir," Maka said, bowing politely at him. She looked a bit sheepish and shy. "I forgot to wear a jacket with my sleeveless dress at a performance the other night and caught a small cough. I am back now and ready to give it my all, though." She smiled as she said the last statement.

The older male nodded calmly. "Well then, Marie will tell you what song to start with," He said as he handed one of the binders to Maka. She took it and flipped through it curiously, her face slowly twisting down into a frown as she tried to decipher the notes and lines. Marie took one of the binders and opened it herself, thumbing through and finally pointing on one page.

"We'll be starting out pretty easy today. I figured it'd be best to give Maka and Soul a chance to adjust to how we do things around here," She said with a smile. She looked through the three pages of music and nodded. "Yup, this is definitely a good idea. Everyone, please turn to the song titled _Shattered_ in your binders."

Maka glanced at the music and gulped lightly. She couldn't understand a single mark on her page other than the title. The others all shifted uncomfortably and she could feel their eyes on her. She had a hunch that they hadn't had the chance to mention her inability to read music. She gulped and looked over the lyrics as the music started to play. Maybe, if she was lucky, they wouldn't notice.

_Yesterday I died, tomorrow's bleeding  
>Fall into your sunlight (1).<em>

"Stop," Stein stated flatly. After a moment of muddled noises and squeaks, there was silence. Maka shifted from foot to foot nervously, Kid looked a bit annoyed, Liz looked tired, Patty was excited like always, Tsubaki was nervous, Soul looked skeptical and Blair, standing back by the door, looked confused. "What notes were those, Miss Albarn?" Stein asked while looking down at the sheet music.

"I'm… Not sure, sir," Maka answered as evenly as she could. She was scared, though, of being mocked. After all, most successful singers weren't people like her who sang simply through feel. Did that make her way of doing things wrong? Not according to her or her friends, but these two were professionals in regards to music. They had very different standards than the people she was used to working with.

He raised an eyebrow at this. "You can't read sheet music? Well, that's just downright pathetic," He scoffed as he settled into a rolling chair in the corner of the room. Soul noted that chair hadn't been there last time he'd been in this room for rehearsal. "How exactly have you been performing music up until this point?"

"I… It usually just comes to me, sir," She explained, still nervous. She wasn't doing a very good job of putting up a poker face against the whole situation placed before her.

"Hmm. You aren't very good at this, are you, Miss Albarn?" He asked, wheeling his chair over to her. He skid to a stop right in front of her and she took a nervous half step backwards. He flashes her a small smirk. "Your parents are Spirit and Kami Albarn, correct?"

"Yes, sir," She responded levelly. She swallowed hard past the lump growing there, making it so much harder for her to speak.

"I knew them both when they were younger. Your mother had a lovely voice and a shining personality. She could have gone professional, gone on tour with my group and I," He said casually. His eyes hardened a little bit on her. "But instead she married your father and had you. She tossed away her chances of being something other than just a simple woman for your sake, in hopes she could raise a nice little family. And how do you repay her sacrifices? You don't even take the time to learn all the tricks of your trade." He scoffed with a shake of his head. He sounded completely disappointed and disgusted, a sinking feeling settling in Maka's stomach. "What a disgrace you are."

She balled her fists at her side and forced a smile on her lips. "My apologies, sir," She said with a curtsy. She headed to the door, not turning back to look at the rest of the group. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to freshen up a bit." She said before leaving as quietly as possible.

Stein watched her go with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell is your problem?" Soul snapped angrily, standing from his perch at the piano. The grey haired male and blonde woman turned to look at him. "Didn't my mother explain anything about this group to you?"

"She told me the number of members, the instruments you are all capable of and your personality quirks. Is there something she forgot to add on?" He asked curiously.

"Maka can't read sheet music but she has perfect pitch! Just one listen of something and she can match it perfectly in her own octave!" He snapped. Stein's eyes widened a bit at this. There were many musicians who were talented, but only a handful actually had perfect pitch naturally. A system somewhat similar to perfect pitch could be developed over time for a dedicated musician, in which their memory would help them find the right note. To think this girl, born to someone as simple as Spirit and as talented as Kami, had perfect pitch was very appealing.

"Oh, my. That certainly is an interesting little tid bit of information," He said thoughtfully, resting one hand to his chin in thought. Soul growled and stormed off to find their runaway leader, hoping to convince her to come back.

"Stein, maybe today we should observe the interaction within the group when all the members are present? Maybe then we can find a way to help tutor Miss Albarn into understanding music a little better," Marie suggested helpfully, stepping forward a little bit. He glanced at her, thinking on her plan, and then nodded.

"That sounds like a good idea, Marie. Make sure to keep a close eye on that girl when she returns and see if there's any way you can think of to help her out," He agreed easily. Marie smiled and nodded, praying that Stein's little ramble wouldn't get them fired.

After all, she had an important matter to discuss with Stein that would require they have a little extra cash to burn.

…

Soul ended up finding Maka camped out in the garden, under the largest tree with the best shade. She was curled into herself, back against the trunk, and he had a suspicion she was crying. "Hey, you okay?" He asked as he walked over. She didn't left her face from her knees.

"Go away. I don't want to talk to you right now," She grumbled out in a hoarse tone of voice. That was all the proof he needed that she had been crying out here. He walked closer and heard her let out a small snarl. "I said to leave me alone! Are you completely stupid or just deaf?" She finally lifted her head, glaring at him angrily.

It was less terrifying than usual due to the tears slowly dripping down her chin.

"My mother always tells me I never knew how to relent," He shrugged as he walked closer and sat next to her. She glared and inched a little bit farther away. "So, what exactly am I being punished for? I apologized for pushing you with that game the other day, so what's been bothering you up until this point?"

Maka glanced at him then looked off to the side, resting the side of her head on her knees. She stared at the wall opposite her, the wall that kept out intruders and was decidedly more interesting than the silver-haired boy beside her. She didn't need him trying to dissect her right now; she had already been undone by their new conductor. There was only so much she could handle in one day.

She was starting to notice that, ever since meeting the Evans family, her patience seemed to have become significantly shorter.

"I don't need to talk to you, or anyone else for that matter, about what bothers me or frustrates me," She barked out in a slightly quieter voice. It made the comment seem less unsure than it should have been and she berated herself inside for it.

"Don't you think we have the right to know? I mean, we don't want to piss you off all the time intentionally," He said, shifting his gaze to look up at the tree. He had always liked this tree because of how great the view was on the high up branches (and because it was a good place to hide when his mother was looking for him). "And it makes things run a little smoother if we can avoid fighting every five seconds."

Maka was silent for a little bit. "I really don't like you because you make me see what a terrible person I am," She said flatly. Soul blinked and looked at her curiously. She had turned her head so that they were looking at one another now. "You… Make me think about things that I have been trying so hard to forget."

"Usually things that haunt us are sins we want to confess," He answered back. He leaned back against the tree light she had a few minutes ago and looked out at the lush foliage growing across from them. "You can confess to me if you want; I promise not to tell anyone. I mean, I bet everyone in your little group already knows but… I won't mention it to Black*Star or anyone else. So, go ahead; I highly doubt that what you've done is so terrible you can never be forgiven for it."

She watched him for a while, a pregnant silence filling the gap of time. Finally she looked to her feet and breathed out quietly. "My mother fell ill when I was younger. I'm still not sure what she had," Maka started out slowly. Soul noted that the corner of her lip twitched at that sentence; a lie. He let it get by, given she was opening up to some degree. "But, the morning she died, I got into a fight with her. I told her that I hated her and I would have been better off if I'd never been born. I… An hour before my mother died, I told her that I hoped she would." He voice as shaking, tears spilling over her now widened eyes. She had never said this out loud to anyone else.

Her darkest secret; and here she was sharing it with an aristocrat who would probably give any amount to see her stumble and fall.

"You couldn't have known," He said blandly, as if those words would alleviate all the suffering that went with her admission. Maka turned and stared at him as if he'd sprouted another head. "Kids say stupid things to their parents all the time when they're mad. It's, like, a rule or something."

"How… Can you shrug this off so easily?" She asked meekly. She narrowed her eyes slowly, her tears falling harder and faster. "I killed my mother! If I hadn't said those words she wouldn't have felt so crushed she'd give up fighting and die!" She sobbed out angrily.

He regarded her with a calm gaze before he finally extended his nearest arm to her. She blinked a few times. "You couldn't have known, Maka," He said delicately. She wasn't sure why, but those words had such a different meaning coming from his lips. She swallowed and then pressed into him, face against his chest and fingers curled in his shirt, and she just sobbed as hard as she could. She sobbed for what she'd confessed, she sobbed for the loss of Chrona, and she sobbed for her own pathetic self.

But, most of all, she sobbed for the death of her childhood and her shattered illusions.

…

Blair sat with Spirit, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. The man looked a wreck, to put it kindly. His hair was greasy and unkept, heavy black bags resided under his eyes, and his complexion looked completely pale. He hadn't changed clothes in days and he had a small bit of a foul scent about him. "Thank you for meeting with me, Blair," He whispered in a tired out voice.

"It… It was no problem, Spirit," She said slowly, shifting her gaze to her tea. She wasn't embarrassed to be with him while he looked like this, if she was honest; she was rather nervous. She had been dodging and avoiding Spirit ever since Maka made it known that she would not have her father informed on what she was up to at the time.

"I've… I... I just-" He cut himself off as tears started trailing down his face. He threw his face into his arms. "MAKA-CHAN, COME BACK! PAPA LOVES YOU AND MISSES YOU!" He wailed loudly, earning the attention of every other customer, employee and passerby in the process.

Guilt forced Blair to sink deeper into her seat, the little cat ears she always wore falling a little lower on her head.

"I don't know where she could have gone, Blair! I mean, I know that… I know that things haven't been the best since," He paused again as he lifted his head. He sniffed lightly and scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve a bit. "Well, you know. I've been trying my best to now look at other women, to try and focus on being the kind of Papa Maka needs, but I've messed up a few times. But making mistakes proves I'm human, doesn't it?"

"There is that old quote that says to error is human," Blair piped in shyly. He nodded and released another shaky sigh, tears flooding his eyes again. Blair forced herself to take a sip of her tea, despite the liquid tasting foul in her mouth.

"I have no idea where she may have gone, and neither do any of her friends," He continued. He shook his head a bit. "That was part of the reason I know you wouldn't know where she ran off to either. I guess I just wanted a little company, since the house seems so empty and I haven't been able to really enjoy spending time with my lady friends. Maka being gone… It's like there's a huge whole in my heart that can never be filled." He choked out sadly.

Blair couldn't take it anymore; she would just have to beg for Maka's forgiveness later.

"I can't take it, nyah!" She cried out loudly, slamming her hands down on the table. Spirit flinched a bit in his seat and looked at her. Blair looked at him, eyes coated heavily with guilt, and let out a small whining noise. "Maka-Chan made Blair promise not to tell Spirit-Kun, nyah! But Blair can't take how sad Spirit-Kun looks!" She whimpered weakly.

And so, led by her guilt, Blair told Spirit ever last detail as to where his daughter could be found.

"But you shouldn't worry too much, Spirit-Kun!" She added hastily at the horrified look on the red haired male's face. His little girl, his little angel Maka-Chan… Was living in a house with a **silver haired boy**? Who could do terrible things to her and **get away with it, given his standing in society**? He wondered briefly if he was about to have a heart attack. "Soul-Kun's mommy hired some old friends of yours to help the group learn music! You remember your friends Franken Stein and Marie Mjolnir, right?" She asked with an innocent giggle.

It was official; Spirit was in his own personal Hell on Earth.

"DON'T WORRY, MAKA-CHAN! PAPA'S COMING!" He screamed as he ran away, a comical puff of smoke showing where his path was headed. Blair sweat-dropped and swallowed hard.

"Was it something Blair said?"

End

(1) Shattered by Trading Yesterday. I love this song to pieces and think that everyone should check it out. It's a somewhat sad theme, but it's just so beautifully pieced to gether and pulled off that it's well worth it.

Notes I wanted to post:

I'm back on my feet~! Friday morning, the day after my dental surgery, I actually felt tons better. I decided to wait until today to post to make sure it wasn't just a one-day thing. I decided to share my joy over my speedy recovery with all of you by updating early~!

This chapter had an overall sad theme to it; hence Spirit appearing at the end. I felt like lightening it up a little, so Blair-Spirit interactions seemed the right route to go.

Stein was probably OOC in that scene (since, you know, he wasn't planning to dissect anything) but I hope to remedy that in the following chapters.

How many of you want this story to have a happy ending? I have three endings in mind; a sad one, a bittersweet one and a really happy one. I'll put up a poll in with my next update and I hope you'll all vote; after all, that dictates how the story will be finished when I get there.

Next Chapter:

Maka finds herself unable to argue with Stein's suggestion that they perform at an upcoming benefit that gives money to homeless children; she also finds herself unable to deny how adorable it is to see Soul playing with the little orphans. Soul decides to make it the new hip thing for cool guys to dress up like animals and play music for little kids. Spirit has a long chat with Stein and Marie… About more than just his late wife and missing daughter.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Nine

After a stern talking to from Marie, Stein had apologized for being a little harsh on Maka. They decided to try and find a way to make everything work and flow; she still had her binder of music but she was getting tutoring from Marie on how to read notes. Luckily enough, Marie was gifted with plenty of patience and a love of children so the lessons weren't totally unbearable (although Maka still had no idea what notes were what). At current, Maka was seated in the practice room with the two teachers (plus Kami's ghost, as per usual) and Soul, who had strangely enough become like a guard dog when the others weren't around. "So this note is a G, right?" She asked nervously, pointing to a specific little note and looking at Marie.

The other woman's visible eye lit up with delight. "That's right!" She beamed proudly. She hugged Maka tightly, causing the petite blonde to squeak in surprise. Kami, standing over by Soul, smiled lightly before glaring at Stein. She had yet to forgive the strange conductor for upsetting her daughter so terribly.

"If I hold him, do you think Soul would be willing to do the hitting?" She asked aloud. Her child made a discrete face at that before relaxing back in her chair as she was released.

"Congrats on the progress, Miss Albarn," Stein stated calmly. He smiled lightly as both teens looked up at him. "Too bad you won't be needing it for your next concert."

"We already have another gig booked? For when? Blair didn't mention it to us at rehearsal yesterday," Maka said worriedly. They had redone the schedule so that rehearsals were during the week, Monday through Friday, while on Saturday and Sunday Maka was to focus solely on her tutoring with Miss Mjolnir.

"I scheduled this one myself," Stein stated while pushing up his glasses on his nose. He was answered by a suspicious look. "Don't worry, Miss Albarn; I informed your manager of it so that she could take care of the rest of business. It's just that Duchess Evans was worried about the sort of gigs, or more correctly, gig, you've been playing at lately and wanted me to get something a little more high class and awe-inspiring tossed in."

'_Meaning she thinks Blair's a flake and we're going to make her son look like a hack,'_ She thought bitterly. She did not have a fond spot for Masumi Evans in the least; something about the woman just did not sit well with her. "So what is this supposedly 'high class and awe-inspiring' show you've scheduled for us?" She made sure to make use of air quotes when repeating what the silver haired male had said, hoping to insult him a little bit.

He chuckled in response. "You'll be performing at a benefit show for homeless children," Soul raised an eyebrow and Maka looked startled. He held up a hand before either child could argue with him on the subject. "Now, I know what you're thinking; how is that high society? Well, the higher ups are impressed with selflessness by the fellow wealthy and will, therefore, be more inclined to donate themselves. Duchess Evans feels that by having Soul performing in the show it'll get more of their aristocratic friends interested in giving to help the homeless children."

"Tch. Figures; her own benefit is always slipped in there just beneath the surface," Soul snorted from his spot at the piano. He lightly hit a key, sending out the sound of a high-pitched note into the room. "She wants us to make her look better."

"Well, either way, we'll be performing next Tuesday evening in a huge music hall full of children, founders, donators, potential future clients and also potential donors as well," Marie added quickly. She was hoping to diffuse the huff mood the white haired teenager was emitting into the room. "You all will be performing a lot of the most popular children's songs out there; mostly Disney but some others will be slipped in as well."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'you all'?" Soul asked, catching on to that little part. Marie giggled at him lightly.

"Well, although Maka here will do a bulk of the singing, Tsubaki will be picking up on background vocals for female parts and either you or Kid will pick up on background for male parts," Marie explained cheerfully. She then pulled out a small notebook and pen. "Now, we need to discuss what songs you'll be performing. We need to have a set list for a whole two hours figured out. So, just throw out movies and once we get a few ideas out there, we can start picking out songs."

"How about _Beauty and the Beast_?" Maka suggested while standing. She went and plopped down on the piano bench beside Soul. "So did your parents let you watch Disney movies when you were young, or did they think they were beneath you?" She asked with a small smirk.

Soul smirked lightly at the slight jab at his family; he didn't really mind and found her little quips funny. "They didn't like them, but that's why I had Black*Star to fall back on. If I wanted to watch a movie my parents were against me watching, he'd gladly sit through it with me," He stated. She chuckled a little bit at him and relaxed into the seat. "The movies I remember in specific were _The Aristocats_, _Hercules_ and _Oliver and Company_."

"I loved _Oliver and Company_!" Maka squeaked out excitedly. Marie smiled as she wrote the movies down cheerfully. "_The Little Mermaid_, _Lady and the Tramp_, _Cinderella_ and _The Lion King_."

"Alright! That's a good list we've got," Marie beamed while jotting the last few names down, "so let's start talking about songs."

…

Maka sighed as Blair teased her lightly with a comb. "Do I really have to wear this? I feel completely ridiculous," Maka sighed lightly. She didn't mind doing all this for the orphans; what she minded was her outfit. She took a look around herself at her friends.

Tsubaki's hair was up in the usual ponytail she was used to seeing the young woman wear. She was, however, wearing a gorgeous blue and green dress that swept to her ankles. The dress tied at the back of her neck, leaving her top a bit exposed. Maka considered it a little risqué, but then again Tsubaki was meant to represent The Little Mermaid in their show so she could let it go. The dark blue heels went with it well and tied the outfit together.

Next was Patty. She was wearing a sleeveless purple dress that reached about five inches above her ankles with a large bow in the front and another on her left hip. With it she was wearing lavender ballet slippers and she had tied a white lacy bow in her hair. It had originally been on the right side, but Kid had freaked out about the symmetry and demanded the bow be placed in the center. Liz had fixed it for her sister, not wanting to deal with Kid's usual manic episodes. Patty looked like a more cheerful representation of Meg; just as she was supposed to.

Next was Liz, playing the role of Lady to Kid's Tramp. She was wearing a sleeveless red dress that reached just a touch below her knees. Her hair was down, brushed and lightly crimped. She had on black gloves that reached her elbows and a pair of black boots to match. The boots had silk laces tied off in perfect little bows. She also had on a headband with fluffy, floppy brown puppy dog ears and a matching tail swishing behind her.

Both Soul and Kid were in their usual tuxedos and Maka honestly envied them. Soul had been given a little paper crown with plastic jewels glued to it. It was the only change to his usual attire for performances. Kid had been given scruffy looking Black puppy ears and matching tail (both symmetrical, thank God) but he didn't really seem to mind it.

And then you had poor, miserable, Cinderella-Maka.

The dress was huge to say the least. It was a voluptuous yellow mass with orange ruffles on the edges of every fold that reached half way down her calves. She had only light yellow gloves that reached up to her shoulder where lighter yellow feathers had been stitched and glued on. The sleeves of the dress covered her shoulder and the dress had a V-style neck line. The dress was finished off with mandarin colored boots that reached up her knees. Her hair was down and curled into multiple ringlets that Blair was now combing out, making her hair just a touch wavy instead. "I feel like a gaudy cupcake," She confessed flatly as Blair pulled out a paper crown that matched with Soul's.

"You **look** like a gaudy cupcake," Soul agreed as he walked over, flashing her his toothy grin. She glared at him in the small vanity mirror. "But maybe it's better that you just accept inner gaudy cupcake-itude. After all, it could save you a ton of grief when it comes time for you to go through your mid-life crisis. At least that way you won't be trying to relive your childhood by **optionally** dressing like this."

"Ah, you have a point, good sir," Maka said in her same deadpan tone. She then smiled a little bit. "But, then again, I wouldn't be dragging anybody else down with me so why would that really matter?"

"You don't plan to get married or have kids?" Soul asked skeptically. Maka shrugged as Blair finished up and stepped back. She stood up, making sure she could comfortably move in the dress, before looking back over at him.

"Nope. I don't really want or need those things. As long as someday I can travel the world and write my novels than I'm fine," She said with a shrug. She then turned her attention back to the rest of the group. "Okay everyone, get ready! We're on in three minutes so start tuning instruments and getting to your places! When that curtain goes up we have to be ready!" Maka said loudly, clapping her hands.

'_Maybe it's because of all her personal family issues,'_ He thought to himself. He felt a little bit bad for Maka and the guilt she was apparently carrying in regards to her mother's passing. He also felt that without the full story of what had happened exactly, since Maka had not told him the whole truth, he couldn't really help. 'I'll just have to corner Blair and ask about Maka's dad. Maybe he could clear some of this confusion up.'

"Hey, are you listening? You need to get to your position!" Maka chided, suddenly up in his face. He blinked in slight alarm and she answered him with a small smirk. "Don't get lost in thought now, Evans! Go get ready at your piano." She pointed before heading off and making sure the rest of the group was getting situated.

'_She clucks away like a mother hen; it's hard to believe she doesn't want to be a mother herself,'_ He thought as he sat down at his piano. He lightly stroked the keys, making sure to stay silent, before getting his sheet music ready for the performance. Maka rushed back to her perch at the microphone in the front just as the curtains started to part.

She looked out at the sea of eager-looking children in the plush seats of the auditorium. Farther and higher up, in the balcony spots, she could see all the high society adults watching with stoic expressions. She forced her smile to stay in place, though; if they performed well they would be bettering the lives of all those little children out there. "Hello everyone! My name's Maka and these are all my friends. Today, we'll be performing some fun songs for you and we hope you'll enjoy. And if you want, feel free to sing along!" She announced happily. The young children responded with squeals, shouts and applause of joy, making her smile soften and turn more sincere. "We'll be starting out today with a little diddy called I Won't Say I'm in Love!" She beamed at the cheers they received.

In the back, Stein started up the background music with the orchestra, winds and brass band. Patty, Liz and Tsubaki situated the microphones positioned near them to assure their back-up vocals could be heard. Maka took a deep breath and leaned in a little closer, preparing for the first few notes.

_If there's a prize for rotten judgment  
>I guess I've already won that.<br>No man is worth the aggravation.  
>That's ancient history, been there, done that!<em>

A few of the little kids started to join in as they realized exactly which song it was. Maka smiled a bit as it slowly grew in volume.

_Who'd'ya think you're kiddin'?  
>He's the Earth and heaven to you.<br>Try to keep it hidden  
>Honey, we can see right through you.<br>Girl, ya can't conceal it.  
>We know how ya feel and<br>Who you're thinking of._

'_Well isn't this just an ironic little number?'_ Liz thought to herself. She had seen the way Soul was watching Maka as of late for two reasons; one, she had agreed to help Kid with his insane mission and two because she was interested in what was going on between them. The young woman was a hopeless romantic at her core and she could see the longing in those ruby eyes. It was funny to think that he'd fall head over heels for Maka, given the other tended to pick fights and mock him every chance she got. Then again, she was pretty sure the young aristocrat was a bit of a masochist.

_No chance, no way  
>I won't say it, no, no.<em>

Tsubaki was a little happier than to be expected. Liz wasn't the only one who'd notice the clear interest the youngest Evans was showing in their leader. _'Maybe she can finally accept that love is possible; Maka deserves to find herself a nice boy and have a happy life,'_ The dark haired girl thought. Maka was her dearest friend and she had never seen those moss orbs light up as much as they did when she and Soul were bantering. It was almost surreal to think that the biggest man-hater she knew may be falling hard.

_You swoon, you sigh  
>Why deny it, uh-oh?<em>

Patty was off in Patty-land; a place filled with giraffes and rainbows and all things the young blonde loved about life. She had seen the signs as much as her associates but she chose to ignore them. If she pretended not to know anything, she wouldn't feel obligated to tell Kid and she knew Kid would do his best to put a stop to this whole thing. Maka was like a little sister to him; and he tended to be a protective older brother of sorts.

_It's too cliché.  
>I won't say I'm in love.<em>

Maka could see Kami sitting on the piano bench with Soul. She was humming and nodding her head with the song. Growing up, Maka's favorite movie had been Hercules because of Meg. She would march around the house singing this exact song as loud as she could, grinning when her mother would join in. It was, Kami realized, one of the few happy memories she could conjure up that she'd shared with her daughter.

_I thought my heart had learned its lesson.  
>It feels so good when you start out.<br>My head is screaming get a grip, girl  
>Unless you're dying to cry your heart out.<br>Oh._

Maka closed her eyes and tried to remember what it had been like when she sang this as a child. Those memories were typically locked deep inside her because they too painful, or ended p being much darker than she remembered them being. In the end, she felt the original message of this song was true. What good would love do for someone?

_You keep on denying  
>Who you are and how you're feeling.<br>Baby, we're not buying.  
>Hon, we saw ya hit the ceiling.<br>Face it like a grown-up.  
>When ya gonna own up<br>That ya got, got, got it bad._

Maka had never really gotten to hear her and her three female companions singing together and she liked how it sounded. Back when they were playing small time gigs, they didn't have access to the kinds of songs that could permit them to compose multi-singer pieces. Sure, sometimes her and Kid would sing songs together, but that was different to her. This was an experience she could only have because of the Evans family; and, as much as she didn't like it, she was grateful for it.

_No chance, now way  
>I won't say it, no, no.<em>

What really bothered her, when she thought about it, was that Soul never rubbed it in her face. Most of the aristocrats she'd met (aside from Kid, but she was pretty sure that was because she grew up with him) were snobs who only cared about materialistic things. She had only spoken to Wes a handful of times, so her opinion of the elder Evans sibling was pretty much nonexistent. But Soul… She was with Soul practically 24/7.

_Give up, give in  
>Check the grin you're in love.<em>

So what made this kid so different? It couldn't be because he hung out with Black*Star; that kid was a serious egomaniac. If he was following Black*Star's example than he'd definitely be more of a bragger than he apparently was. Not only that, but he actually bantered back at her! Never before had she meant a snobby higher-up that could hold his own in a battle of comebacks with her. She was rather bemused at how much she actually liked that quality of his.

_This scene won't play,  
>I won't say I'm in love.<em>

'_And he seems to get along well enough with the others,'_ She thought. He had handled one of Patty's origami giraffe wrestling matches pretty well a few days ago; he actually offered to count off her time to victory. He and Tsubaki had held a few conversation (mostly discussing that cur Black*Star) and had discussed his opinion on different jazz artists with Liz. The only person he seemed to butt heads with was Kid. She wasn't too sure why, though.

_You're doin' flips, read our lips  
>You're in love.<em>

She assumed that is was some alpha dog thing between them. Chrona was the only other guy who had ever been in the band and he sort of just rolled over, happily handing off the leadership role over to the darker haired male. Soul, however, seemed like he wanted to have some degree of control as well. _'It must be that. That's the only reason they could have it in for one another,'_ She decided.

_You're way off base.  
>I won't say it.<br>Get off my case.  
>I won't say it.<em>

Meanwhile, Kid was glaring at the Soul's profile. _'His family… His behavior… None it adds up. Why is he so different from the rest of his family?' _He wondered with annoyance. Kid was a fan of order, of neatness, of logic; then you threw a wrench like Soul Evans into his work and it all fell apart. He had been raised with the best, so why didn't he act like it? He was more like the other members of their group than the young viscount could be comfortable with.

_Girl, don't be proud  
>It's O.K. You're in love.<em>

'_Well, Mr. Evans,'_ He thought while turning his attention to Maka, _'I will figure out what angle you're playing at. And when I do, should it be a negative one, I will take you out.'_

_Oh.  
>At least out loud,<br>I won't say I'm in love. (1)_

End

_(1) I Won't Say I'm in Love_ from Disney's _Hercules_. This was (and still is) probably one of my favorite classic Disney songs. I always loved the movie _Hercules_ and Meg was by far my favorite character. I think I'm fond of her because she wasn't a princess and she had a kinda bitchy attitude. I like my female character to be more than tsundere bitches or whiny damsels-in-distress.

Revealing my emotional scars:

I had to listen to a lot of Disney music over and over again to decide which song to pick out for this chapter. Do you realize how **very bad** that was? I can **never** un-think the mental image of Stein as a lion singing Be Prepared ever again. And now, if you're all as imaginative as me, neither can any of you.

The happy-bitter-sad ending debate is still up in the air. I've uploaded a poll (because I really can't think for myself) and need results ASAP since I need to start taking this where it needs to go depending on what the result is. Please check it out and give an answer.

Next Chapter:

Soul decides to try and help Black*Star better understand the whole A-super-hot-member-of-the-opposite-sex-is-totally-interested-in-you thing while keep Maka from sabotaging the whole thing. Maka decides to take a note from what she'd been doing thus far since arriving in the Evans home, and continues ignoring her dead mother's advice. Marie is inspired to discuss the pitter patter of baby feet in the near future with Stein.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Ten

Maka was sitting on her bed, waiting for her dinner to be brought up, with her journal of poetry in her lap. She had been on a roll lately, writing all sorts of different types of poems that could later be turned into interesting songs. She mentioned it to Tsubaki and the other woman had suggested that maybe she was changing her opinion on things. Maka wasn't an idiot and she understood the underline message; you're falling in love. "That's completely ridiculous to suggest," Maka grumbled to herself.

"Maybe Tsubaki's right, sweetheart," Kami suggested from her perch at the desk. Maka chose to pretend not to see her or hear her mother. She was still trying to figure out why exactly her mother's ghost still hadn't disappeared like she usually did. She came, she gave her advice, and she didn't disappear like she normally did. "Maka, you need to listen to me. I know for a fact what you're feeling in your heart and you need to accept it."

"Whatever you say," She scoffed while turning on her dresser alarm clock. It came with a radio setting; maybe playing some commercials would help tune her mother out. Apparently someone had been playing with her stations, because it was not on the news network she'd picked out.

_The world could fall apart  
>But you're my heart, my dear.<br>I will sing this song  
>'Til we are gone, my dear.<em>

Maka's glanced up from her page and glared at the radio station. She reached to stop it but she heard a soft humming sound. She glanced over and saw her mother's ghost was swaying a bit to the song. Her eyes were closed, she was relaxed and she wore a small smile like Maka remembered when she thought really hard.

_How do I keep you from losing your way  
>Hope you'll go out and you'll come back some day.<br>But love is letting go  
>And this I'll know.<em>

Kami's voice haunted Maka's sweetest dreams and cruelest of nightmares. But Maka had almost forgotten how beautiful her mother's voice was when she sang; she had so few memories of it, after all. She let herself fall back against the bed and just watch for a little while, basking in the warmth blooming in her chest.

_Cause you were mine  
>For a time.<em>

Kami smiled brightly as Maka joined in. The song was pretty popular, hence Maka's knowledge of it. And, technically, Kami knew the song for the exact same reason. Assuming she was a real ghost, she followed Maka around everywhere she went and had probably heard it at least a few times. Assuming she was just a figment of Maka's imagination, she knew everything that Maka knew. And right now, this moment of bonding, Maka was starting to wonder if this event should mean as much to her as it was.

_I could shape your mind  
>But why waste time, my dear?<br>There's so much more to know  
>And I can show you dear.<em>

Her mother always taught her to be strong and to stand on her own two feet. Her mother had drilled into her a hatred of men and disillusionment about love. After Kami died, Maka vowed to father her mother's teachings; even if, at the time, she didn't really understand everything. Now, over these years, she saw how correct her mother had been.

So why was her mother now trying to change her mind?

_How do I keep you from losing your way?  
>Hope you'll go out and you'll come back some day.<br>But love is letting go  
>And this I'll know.<em>

Soul had decided to bring Maka her meal that night and perked up when he heard her singing. He leaned against the door with the tray of food in his hands. He liked listening to her sing even though he knew she didn't really understand why singing was considered artistic. He liked that about her too, though; she wasn't some high class socialite obsessed with how things sounded. She just sang what she thought sounded right.

_Cause you were mine  
>For a time.<em>

'_What a sad little song,'_ Soul thought to himself. He sighed a little bit and shifted his hands so that he was holding the tray more comfortably. He glanced down at the tray of food, grateful that it was still steaming hot. He decided he'd wait until the end of the song to knock on the door.

_I have held you close  
>And breathed your name, my dear.<br>I was with you then  
>And will remain, my dear.<em>

Maka picked up her journal and returned it to the bedside table. Kami got up and headed over, sitting down next to her. She reached out and lightly took her hands, smiling as she sang. Maka stopped and looked at her. "Mother," She said softly.

_How do I keep you from losing your way?  
>Hope you will find love like I did some day.<br>But love is letting go  
>And this I'll know.<em>

She shifted uncomfortably, rolling her shoulder sp that her hair fell behind her. "Mother, please," She mumbled again. She knew what angle she was going for now; tug on Maka's heart strings and then she could get through to her. But Maka couldn't let her. You couldn't just raise someone on one set of rules and then suddenly flip around on a dime. It didn't work that way.

_Cause you were mine  
>For a time. (1)<em>

"Please, Maka," Kami said softly as the DJ started chatting animatedly about the song. The younger girl looked down at their hands and then back up at her mother. "You live this life the way you want to, sweetie. Please don't hold on to what I told you when I was alive. My life wasn't that great but I shouldn't have tried to turn you into a scornful shrew; don't lose faith in people on my say-so. And don't surrender having a life of your own just because of guilt." She said delicately.

Maka started to open her mouth to respond when there was a knock at the door. "Hey, Maka, it's Soul. I brought you some food," He called lightly. She scrambled up and headed over, peeking her head out curiously. "It's nothing extravagant but that's to be expected; my parents always cop out on having big meals the day before they attend a big party."

The plate of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn was more than Maka had expected, given the habits she had observed thus far. She gave him a small smile and took the tray. "Thanks for bringing it to me. Did you want to come in for a bit? I wrote some new lyrics and could use a second opinion," She said without thinking. She kept up her poker face while berating herself on the inside. _'What the __**hell**__ are you thinking? You have a strictly business relationship and – well, okay, that is __**technically**__ pertaining to business – that seems like a really bad pick-up line! Ugh, what is __**wrong**__ with me today?'_

"Soul~! Mommy needs you help with something~!" Masumi's shrill voice suddenly called from down the hall. Soul twitched and sighed, his shoulders dropping and eye twitching.

"Maybe some other time. I better go help my mother," He said with a small wave before heading off. Maka shut the door with her foot and scowled at the slight disappointment she was unable to withhold.

She was definitely going to have a serious talk with someone – **anyone**, really – about what was going wrong in her head.

…

Soul had been a little surprised when Tsubaki asked to speak to him in private after rehearsal one day. He had seen a somewhat suspicious and interested look cross Maka's face; it reminded him of a hunting dog that caught the trail of prey. "What's up?" He asked her once they walked all the way down the hall and entered one of the many vacant guest rooms.

"I need your help," She said with a small sigh. He blinked a bit before he immediately caught on to the situation; Black*Star. She wanted to ask him something about the loud-mouthed male. "It's about Black*Star…" Soul was almost unable to resist doing a fist pump upon being proven right. "I've been trying to drop little hints and flirt with him but… Well, I may just be bad at it but… He doesn't seem to be catching on…"

"That's because Black*Star is a complete idiot when it comes to the opposite sex," Soul said flatly. He let his hands sink into his pocket and relaxed his stance. "You could come right out and tell him you wanted to take him in a linen closet and give birth to a million of his babies and he still wouldn't get it."

Tsubaki turned tomato red at his remarks. "It-It's nothing like that! I mean, there's a physical attraction but I just really like being around him! I… I'd just like to go on a date with him and see if he could be interested in me too," She sighed, her form drooping with sadness. She reminded Soul too much of a kicked puppy sitting in the rain. He let out a small sigh.

"I'll help you out with that, okay?" He offered politely. Her head snapped up and she looked at him, a mix of interest and confusion on her features. "I'll tell Black*Star I want to hang out tomorrow at the mall. Instead, I'll blow him off and you show up there after he's waited about twenty minutes. Tell him you were just going to go milling about and offer to keep him company since he was ditched. And then – presto! – you've got yourself a date." He explained.

It was Soul's turn to blush when Tsubaki threw herself at him, hugging fiercely. "Oh, thank you so much Soul! You're such a genius!" She gushed happily. He grinned a bit at the praise but it was then taken away again when the ebony haired woman tensed. She jumped back, hands on his shoulders, and looked him dead in the eyes. "We can't let Maka find out about this! If she finds out she might try to mess it all up!"

"Why would she do that? I mean, I know she has an issue with relationships but this isn't really any of her business. Sure, you two are friends, but if you want a relationship she doesn't have the right to try and force you to stop," He pointed out. Soul had picked up on a lot of Maka's personality habits, including her clear distaste for love. She could write pretty lyrics about love but somehow he could just tell it didn't come from the heart; they were pretty words just strung together in a beautiful pattern with a backbeat the way she wrote it.

"She would. Maka isn't normally a bad person but… Well, given what happened with her family, she doesn't believe in lasting relationships of any sort. She even keeps us, her closest and most trusted friends, at arm's length. I mean, that's just my opinion but," Tsubaki sighed as she rambled on anxiously, "I'm pretty sure I'm right. After Kami passed away, Maka just… Fell apart. And when she finally managed to pull herself back together, she was completely different than we remembered."

"Kami's her mother, right? How did she die, anyway?" He asked blandly. Soul was starting to pick up on the group dynamics and how to worm his way into information. Maka would never reveal her own secrets without an emotional trigger being pulled; Kid would take any of Maka's personal secrets to the grave for her because of their deep bond; Blair was just as faithful as Kid and, therefore, would be no help; the Thompson sisters were both closer to Kid than Maka but were just as faithful. They would backup any decision of Kid's and were just as useless to him in regards of gathering information.

But Tsubaki… Tsubaki was the sort of weak link.

Although Kid had been the one to reveal the history about their previous pianist, Chrona, he'd only done it because it was a group scar. Soul had a sinking suspicion that if that had not been the case Kid would have kept his mouth shut tighter than a clam with a pearl inside. Tsubaki was different than the rest of the group; though she didn't share her personal troubles out of the blue, she did wear her heart on her sleeve. If someone asked her what was troubling her than she would share her dilemma and seek advice. She was someone who kept things to herself out of respect but would open up if someone seemed sincerely invested.

And Soul was certainly invested in getting the answers he wanted.

"Yes, Kami was Maka's mother's name," Tsubaki said gently. She looked down, as if her memories were troubling her suddenly. There was so much darkness in the past, so many bad feelings.

"How did she die?" Soul noticed how Tsubaki shifted a bit. He knew this meant she was thinking; she was going to lie to him just like the others. 'Of course; Tsubaki may be the weak link but she's still strong. Well, at the very least I got a name I can use to do research on my own time.'

"She was very sick for a while and it finally claimed her," She said after a moment's pause. She then shook her head and looked at Soul worriedly. "I'd rather not discuss that; those were very hard times for all of us, having to see Maka suffer like she did. We still need to think of a way to keep Maka from finding out what's going on tomorrow."

"I can handle that easily enough," Soul said as he made his way toward the door. A baffled Tsubaki followed him out as he returned to the practice room where everyone else was getting ready to head out. He was grateful that Black*Star hadn't come by today like usual; now he'd not have to worry about the other seeing through his plan. "Hey, Maka, I need to run some errands for my mother tomorrow. Did you want to tag along? It could be good for your research." He said with a slight shrug.

"Since when have you wanted to help me with my research?" She asked with a quirked brow. He smirked and chuckled a bit, making sure it came out a little smug.

"It helps keep you from leaning against the doors to the dining room, right? You've freaked out quite a few of the workers here and I figure this is an easier solution to the problem," Soul had to beam with pride at how Maka started to sputter and blush in humiliation at his words. "I mean, you've gained a creeper status among the staff! They're starting to place bets on when you're going to snap and do something even more bizarre!"

"Okay, okay! I get the point!" She snapped angrily. She glared at him, face still tinted with a pretty red color. "What time will we be leaving, then?"

"We'll head out around ten o'clock. Hell, I'll even treat you to lunch while we're out and about," Soul said with a victorious grin. He could see Tsubaki's face light up from the corner of his eye. Now all he had to do was come up with a convincing list of things to pick up tomorrow; he didn't want to rouse suspicion from Maka, after all.

"Whatever you say, Evans," She said bitterly as she headed out. It took all of her will power to not wonder if this would be considered a date and if she should get dressed up for it. This was not a date; this was research. She would just have to be sure not to enjoy herself.

Too bad there was someone else in the room who considered this to be a date.

…

Maka and Soul left the Evans manor at ten o'clock on the dot. "So what all are we picking up today?" Maka asked curiously, pulling out her research notebook. He grinned at her cheekily.

"I'm not going to just go on out and tell you. I do, however, have a nice little list in one of my pockets," He mused lightly with a devious grin. She blinked then glared at him. "Oh, come on! Did you really think I'd make it **that** easy for you? I'm already doing you a favor." He teased lightly.

"You call it a favor, I call it an inconvenience," She scoffed. She put the notebook back in her purse and glared at him. "I could probably do more effective snooping around on my own. Instead I get stuck tagging along with you on some trivial little errands."

"Then why don't you just turn around and go back into the house? We're only a block away at this point," Soul stated flatly. Maka blinked a few times, a faint blush coming to her cheeks, before she looked away.

"I'm already out here so I may as well go. After all, I got dressed and brought my notebook. This little experience will just take up about a page – maybe two, if you're lucky – in that book I'll be writing," She barked back. He snickered at this.

"You actually took time to think about how you looked before you came out here today? So do you view this as a sort of date?" He asked while gauging her reaction from the corner of his eye. Her cheeks immediately flamed to life and he was surprised that her pigtails flared up like a dog's ears did when on high alert.

"I absolutely do not! This is strictly for research purposes and you know it!" She growled at him, glaring at him sideways. He grinned and pulled out the small list he had compiled the night before.

"First on the list is some caviar," He said bluntly. Maka quirked an eyebrow at him and he held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm just doing what I'm told here."

"Right," Maka said while pulling out her notebook and pen again. She licked the tip of the pen and then scratched something down. He tried to peer over her shoulder and read the new words but she snapped it shut again before he could. "Well, where can we buy caviar?"

"There's a special market we have to go to. There's some other shops we'll have to visit that will be on the way so this will be an interesting little adventure," He explained calmly. She nodded and kept pace with him, briefly wondering why they hadn't just taken the family limo or something rather than having to hoof it like packed mules.

A few feet behind them, dressed in all black, Kid and the Thompson sisters were trailing behind. "That Soul Evans… He thinks he's so damn clever. But I can see right through his plans; he is far too asymmetrical to slip past my watchful gaze," Kid grumbled bitterly. Liz sighed and rubbed the back of her neck nervously while Patty was grinning and peering over Kid's shoulder to see the two teens they were following.

"Hey, Kid, did you ever think this isn't really any of our business? Maka's not some weepy little damsel-in-distress who needs her Prince Charming to save her; Hell, she can handle herself almost as well as Patty in fisticuffs!" The older woman said tiredly.

"Sis does have a point there," Patty agreed with a thoughtful tap of her chin. She then grinned widely and giggled again. "But then again, this is more fun than scrubbing the floors back at the house!"

"I can't argue with that," Liz agreed flatly, "but this isn't right. We know that Maka means a lot to you, Kid, but you can't always guard her like this. You weren't born to be her sword and shield; at some point, if you don't step aside willingly Maka's going to push you back. And what if she pushes you away for good? Where will you be then?" Liz argued with him, though he had yet to say anything in his own defense.

He tensed a bit and turned toward her. "Elizabeth, I will stand by Maka's side as long as I have to," He said calmly. The other's cerulean spheres widened a bit in alarm at this. Kid started to walk ahead, having lost sight of their targets and not wanting to lose the trail. Kid never knew his mother because she had passed away due to complications of labor; this left him motherless and an only child. He knew that his father had never pursued another relationship for fear of upsetting Kid (and the poor man was already paying a ton in therapy for his child; why tack on more to it?) but Kid always wanted to be a big brother. And then he met Maka, an only child like himself that was slightly younger than him. He had adopted her immediately; her sweet demeanor and good humor called to his need for balance. Through her, he learned how to (better) control his OCD and socialize with different types of people. It was only because of him that Kid was who he was and had the great friends that he did.

It wouldn't be wrong to claim that Kid loved Maka; at one point, he had loved her in a less than platonic way. He had once tried to suggest the concept of a relationship to her, before her mother's passing and her own psychosis became slightly compromised, but she had turned him down in a rather circular way. "I love this friendship we share, Kid; it's so much stronger than a lot of the relationships I have. Don't you agree?" She had asked with a bright little smile on her lips. He had been unable to tell her the truth behind his request to speak with her alone after that.

Instead, he had smiled and nodded. "It's certainly a symmetrical bond, isn't it?" He had concluded peacefully.

"So what did you need to talk to me about?" She had then asked, taking a small sip of her own tea. He shook his head then, deciding not to burden her with another trivial matter.

"It was nothing, really; I just wanted to ask you for help picking out what to get my father. His birthday is next week and all," He had bluffed. And he was grateful that Maka either hadn't seen through the bluff or was too polite to comment on the blatant lie. Things were easier when some matters were left to fade to black, after all.

…

Marie took a deep breath as she entered Stein's office. He was sitting with tons of sheet music scattered about. Behind the desk, on a small table by the window, she could see a dissected frog resting. She had learned years ago to just ignore Stein's little stress relief techniques even if they made her a little uneasy. "Stein, I wanted to talk to you about something that's been in the back of my mind the last few days," She started out confidently.

He quirked an eyebrow at her before indicating one of the chairs in his office. "Well, feel free to open up then," He said with a small grin. He then glanced back at the frog, back at her, and jerked a thumb in its direction. "This frog is being pretty open right now too."

"Stein, this is serious!" She squeaked out indignantly as she sat down. Her cheeks puffed out a bit and changed to a shade between pink and red. The silver haired conductor chuckled and waved one of his hands in front of him.

"Sorry, sorry. Please, tell me what's on your mind," He said patiently. She swallowed hard and then nodded, steadying herself inside for what she'd be saying to him. She had never been so nervous in all her life.

"Well, I've been thinking lately," She started out slowly, "about children. I mean, I'll be frank with you; I'm not getting any younger. A lot of the people we knew growing up have already settled down and a lot of their children are almost adults as well. Look at Spirit's daughter, Maka, for example! And I guess I've been feeling the slow tick of my own biological clock more severely lately and… Well, I think I want to settle down and have a few kids." She looked down the whole time she spoke until the very end. She then glanced up, seeing the thoughtful glint in the man's eyes.

There was a pregnant pause before he nodded his agreement. "That certainly is a good point and a good idea for you, Marie. You do have a knack for kids, as well as the patience to raise them," He agreed with another nod. Marie's eye lit up eagerly as she sucked in a quiet breath. Her heart was soaring with this; he was with her on this! He saw what a wonderful mother she could be and agreed with her views! "But, technically, don't you need a husband first?" He asked bluntly.

Marie's heart sank down to her feet and she stared at him, gaping like a fish.

"I guess you could raise a child or two alone using donor sperm or something like that," He said while one of his hands curled around his chin. She could literally feel her heart slowing down, almost completely grinding to a halt. He wasn't being serious, was he? Sure, she hadn't been **specific** that she wanted to have his children, but she had hinted at it a little bit. She had made sure her wording could imply it just the slightest bit! "But that would add to the degree of difficulty involving the whole situation. And, though I don't doubt your abilities, it could wear you down pretty thin. I'd suggest you start out with taking time to start dating before just jumping into the concept of children." Stein said with a nod and small smile.

"Thank you for your input, Stein," Marie mumbled in an icy tone as she stood. Her head had dropped so that her bangs covered her only visible eye. "I will certainly take it to heart." She then turned on her heels, slamming the door behind her as hard as she could. The entire room shook, a few items fell off the walls, and Stein actually saw one of the hinges on the door spring off.

He pushed his glasses up on his nose, complete oblivious to the damage he'd done.

End

(1) Lullaby for Wyatt by Sheryl Crow, as suggested to me by OhMyGoshsickels. I couldn't think of a way to slip it in as a full group performance piece but after listening to the song I felt it could help amplify that scene between Maka and Kami. I hope you don't mind. :3

Notes before I dash off:

Oh Stein; you are so very ignorant. And, yes, Marie will be making him pay dearly for her emotional anguish. And, yes, he still isn't going to catch on one bit as to why she's upset.

I love Maka's pigtails in the serious and I especially love how they change with her mood. I absolutely had to include it and I hope you're all cool with that.

So, my poll isn't working. If you don't mind, please either PM me your thoughts on the ending or mention in your review. (So far I have three opinions to go off of. And thanks to the three who let me know; you rock~!)

Also, I've decided I want to do something new for you all. On Sunday's, after work, I'll be logging on and staying on until late into the evening. I'll keep the browser open in a window, refreshing it every fifteen minutes or so, while working on my fanfics; all day Sunday, I will be taking questions. And these questions can be anything from my updating plan for my new ideas (though I can't promise any of that will not be subject to change, depending on my work and school schedules), spoilers for my current fanfics (available solely on request through PM; don't want to tell everyone, after all), personal questions (though there will be some discretion when I answer those), or even requests for things you'd like to see me write. I've been thinking of doing a collection of drabbles based on words and would like to get a list going, so feel free to offer me help with that too. I'll be starting this up as of this Sunday~! Hope to hear from ya'all~!

Next Chapter:

Maka responds very poorly to a visit from her father, as expected; what isn't expected are the accusations that start to fly. Soul learns that, although she is so resistant to learning new things about music, Maka seems to have a fondness for a few musicals (or, rather, their content). Tsubaki finds out what Kid and the Thompson sisters are planning to do if Soul and Maka gets too close and promptly intervenes; with the help of the great Black*Star, of course.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Eleven

Soul sighed as he leaned back in his computer chair. Doing his research into the past of Kami Albarn had not been an easy, or cheerful, task for him. He learned that when she was only nineteen she married Spirit Albarn and surrendered a promising career as a travelling singer. He was specifically interested in the fact that all the articles he'd read said she would be touring in a choral group led by Franken Stein. He wondered briefly if Stein knew Kami was Maka's mother but had then rolled his eyes at himself; he knew through pictures that Maka was the spitting image of her mother.

He had learned a lot about Spirit Albarn as well. The man was known for being a lady killer and had, on several incidents, cheated on his wife. He was an attractive man but he wasn't particularly clever. What he lacked in intelligence it seemed he made up for in strength, speed and physical prowess. Soul also discovered that he had attended a public school with both Stein and Marie; another interesting little fact of his.

Through his investigations, he was a little disappointed to have found nothing new on Maka herself.

He sighed and picked up the small telephone on his desk, making sure to click the button that would connect him to the kitchen. "Can you bring me a beverage and a snack please?" He asked into it.

"Of course, Master Soul," The light, cheery voice of one of the maids responded quickly. He heard a small rustling in the background. "What would you like to drink and eat?"

"Go ahead and surprise me," He said with a small shrug to himself.

"Excellent choice, Master Soul," She responded in that same tone before they both hung up. Soul knew that she was probably going to whine about how he hadn't been very specific but he really didn't care. Smack talk was something he was used to at this point.

He then turned back to his computer and loaded up his favorite browser. He then uploaded Google and typed in "Kami Albarn obituary" and clicked the search button. He perked up when several articles loaded up. He uploaded a few in new tabs and started reading the first article he found, the title catching him by surprise.

"_Kami Albarn: The Real Life Ophelia (1)"._

_Many people have at least heard of the Shakespearean masterpiece called Hamlet; even more people know the tragic fate of the female character Ophelia, whether they've read the play or not. If you are not familiar, Ophelia was a character whom was infatuated with the main character Hamlet. Ophelia lives her life according to what her father and brother tell her, trying her best to earn Hamlet's affection while keeping her family's words in mind. In the end, she receives the short end of the stick; Hamlet kills her father. She then loses her mind from grief and dies; one of the biggest debates by both the cast and scholars alike are whether Ophelia drowns herself intentionally of if it was simply a mistake brought on by her depression keeping her trapped in her delusions._

_Three days ago, singing sensation Kami Albarn passed away from a similar fate._

_It was a known fact that, with her failing marriage and cheating husband, Kami was falling into a deep depression. For almost three years she has become a recluse, claiming to be suffering from an illness. Her doctors were unable to confirm this, but did admit that the woman had been prescribed anti-depressants. The family has refused to have an autopsy performed but it is believed that she expired because she overdosed on her medications._

_But the real question is was it intentional or accidental?_

_We tried to question her widower and daughter, but we were stubbornly denied and told we had no business reporting on the subject. We feel the family is trying to cover something up. Is this Spirit trying to covering up for the fact he was a philandering fool who may be indirectly responsible for robbing his daughter of her mother? Or are they just trying to find a way to move forward in the face of such an abrupt accident?_

_Just one thing is certain; one of music's most amazing performers will be deeply missed._

Soul felt a shiver crawl up his spine as he closed the tab and fell back against his chair. "No wonder Maka never wants to talk about it," He mumbled lightly. And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

"_I killed my mother! If I hadn't said those words she wouldn't have felt so crushed she'd give up fighting and die!"_

"It wasn't an accident then," He mumbled softly. His eyes widened and his hands started to shake on the mouse of his computer. "Her mother… She really killed herself. She overdosed right after their fight, not even thinking about what it would do to Maka." He muttered before jumping at a slight rapping on his door. He turned his chair as a maid entered with a glass of soda and a sandwich.

"Here you are, Master Soul," She said with a small bow. She set the tray with the drink and food on a table near his desk and headed out. Soul carefully picked up the drink and took a small sip before sighing and putting it back.

He was horrified when he turned around to be greeted with a frowning Kami Albarn.

"Jesus Christ!" He yelped in alarm, jerking back against his chair. Kami responded by chuckling lightly and covering her mouth with her hand, trying to mask it. "What… What the hell?" He grumbled out in a panicked tone.

"Sorry if I startled you; normally the only person who can see me is Maka," Kami stated simply as she sat down on Soul's bed. He could feel his eye twitching as he watched her get settled down. He had officially lost his mind; all the insanity surrounding this group had caught hold of him and now he was just as coo-coo for cocoa puffs as the rest of them! "But this is a good thing for me too. I needed to talk to you and ask for your help, Soul Evans."

He blinked a few times and settled back down into his seat. "This has to do with Maka, doesn't it?" He asked. She sighed and nodded solemnly. "You really messed her up, you know that? I can respect that you were upset because of everything, but dragging your daughter into it? That's just low and cruel to do. She's got serious issues; I don't even know how to help her or where I would start if I did." He barked out with a small glare.

"I know that," Kami sighed lightly, "better than you think. I was stupid, and selfish, and let myself be controlled by my emotions. I channeled my hatred and resentment toward Spirit into how I raised Maka and what I taught her. I've raised my daughter to hate all men and to trust no one; she's the perfect little hate machine. But I am not as proud of this as you'd expect; after I died, I realized what a mistake I'd made. I watched my daughter crumb to pieces under guilt she didn't deserve to feel at her age. It wasn't her fault her father was the way he was and it wasn't her fault I became the way I did. I want Maka to live her life to the fullest and to be truly happy with what she does; not live a life of bitterness and regrets."

"So how exactly am I supposed to help?" Soul asked skeptically with a raised eyebrow. Kami shifted a bit and gave him a small hopeful smile.

"You like Maka a lot; I can tell it. Now you can try and say you don't," She started to explain simply, "and that's fine. I do, however, want you to know that I am aware you're lying. If you aren't ready to admit it yourself than I won't complain but I need you to get closer to her. I need you to prove to her that not all men are evil."

"Yeah… About that," He sighed lightly, rubbing the back of his head. When he'd distracted Maka so Tsubaki and Black*Star could go on their date they had talked a lot. Hell, they'd actually enjoyed one another's company all day long! She hadn't really revealed anything about her family to him but she had opened up and shared some hobbies of hers. Things didn't stay good for long though.

The next morning, when Black*Star had showed up boasting that he and Tsubaki were an official couple, Maka had realized what had really happened. At first she looked at Tsubaki, clearly wounded, and then glared at the now terrified looking woman. "Thanks for telling me what was going on. It's good to know I can trust my friends," She snarled lowly before turning on Soul. "And you! Who the hell do you think you are? You lied to me! You tricked me and wasted my precious researching time! You really aren't any better than your family, are you?" Soul actually winced a bit at her last comment.

"Maka, please," Tsubaki said timidly. She approached, holding her hand out to her, but Maka slapped it away hard. The pure rage in her eyes was, to Soul, actually depressing. Something so little could set her off like that? It didn't make any logical kind of sense. Seeing that fury, Tsubaki's eyes welled with tears and she took a step back. Patty and Liz rushed to her side, trying to comfort her and repair the damage done by Maka's breakdown. Black*Star had his fists clenched and looked ready to launch at the young blonde woman; Kid was watching Black*Star, preparing himself to fly at him if he did try to take a shot at the young girl

And then, as abruptly as it had all started, Maka released a sigh and stormed off. That had been two days ago and Maka hadn't left her room since, no matter who came knocking. As far as Soul knew, she also hadn't received any food or water. "She's holed up in her room. I have no idea how to get through to her," Soul said with a small sigh. Kami stood and gave his hand a small pat, although he couldn't really feel it.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," She stated gently. She then headed to the door, disappearing through it. Soul felt another shudder crawl up his spine and let out a small groan. He had really gone over the deep end, hadn't he? He suddenly regretted all that research he'd done. He stood up and headed out, hoping that maybe a walk around the manor grounds would help to clear his head.

…

Blair sighed heavily as she and Spirit walked up to the large metal gates serving as the entrance to the Evans family estate. Spirit had been planning what he would say to Maka when he saw her again for the past few days and finally seemed to settle on something (though Blair wasn't sure if he'd be crying or yelling). "Um, excuse me?" Blair asked the guard with a coy little smile. She was disappointed when she saw it was a female guard this time.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" She asked gruffly, a small scowl on her features. Blair opened her mouth to explain but Spirit cut her off.

"My daughter is in there and I am here to get her back right now! If a woman as lovely as yourself would help me reunite with her, I'd be ever so grateful," Spirit said with a smile, leaning forward and winking at the guard. She blinked a few times then glared at him.

"Sir, I am not going to let you in just because you flirt with me," She answered flatly. Spirit twitched slightly and she shoved him a bit. "I will get a hold of one of my masters or the mistresses and see if you are to be permitted on." She said flatly.

It was then Blair spotted Soul walking by on the other side of the fence. "Oh! Soul-Kun! Over here nyah~!" She squealed loudly and excitedly, waving at him. He perked up, raised an eyebrow and walked over. He hadn't seen the golden eyed woman in a while and had no idea who the man with her was.

"Hello Blair. Who's the old guy?" He asked, jerking a thumb in the other male's direction.

"Who are you calling old?" Spirit roared, trying to grab at Soul through the bars. He was, in turn, hit in the gut with a night stick by the female guard.

"Do not mouth off to young Master Soul, you fool!" She barked out angrily. Spirit could only groan and grip his stomach in response. She then bowed politely to Soul. "My apologies, sir. This man claims that his daughter is residing in the manor."

Maroon spheres widened a bit and lit with interest. "So you're Spirit Albarn, huh?" He asked as he shifted his gaze to the wheezing male. He then snickered a little bit. "I must admit that I'm a little disappointed; you aren't nearly as impressive as I would have expected. Given everything you've accomplished in your life, I was anticipating someone with muscles; not some pansy faced oldie." He snickered lightly.

Spirit's face turned as red as his hair, his eyes narrowed to thin blue slits. "You… You… My sweet little Maka should **not** be exposed to someone as vulgar and rude and you! How does my daughter deal with you?" He quizzed, his face the picture of frustration. Soul shrugged.

"I tend to make her scream a lot," He said blandly. Spirit's eyes widened and Blair blushed, giggling lightly at this. Soul blinked, the cogs in his head slowly turning, as he himself blushed and tensed as well. That… Had not come out right at all.

"What… What? You filthy savage! If you've touched my precious little Maka, I swear I'm going to-!"

"I told you not to mouth off, you idiot!" The guard hissed while jabbing Spirit again in the gut. Soul took a step back from the fence and looked at Blair.

"I'll go see if Maka's up for company; she's been in a bad mood the last few days," He explained simply. He hurried back inside, ignoring the cries of "Maka-Chan" coming from behind him.

He saw a few maids huddled together down the hall from her room, whispering with concerned expressions. They all glanced up when they saw him and the youngest girl, a mousy twelve year old with brown hair and matching eyes, was shoved a little closer to him. "Um… Young Master Soul… Young Miss Maka refuses to open her door. She hasn't eaten in days and we don't know what to do," She said shyly. Soul ran a hand through his hair and looked at the shut door.

"I'll get her to open the door. You ladies just go focus on your jobs before Mother finds out and yells at you all for being too slow for her," He explained. The women all tensed and nodded, scurrying away and grumbling swears. He headed down the hall and knocked lightly on the door. "Maka, quit pouting like a brat and open the door."

"Go to Hell, Evans!" The fact she actually retorted to that was an accomplishment in itself.

"You're dad is at the fence wanting to see you; if you don't let me in, I'm going to tell him you and I have been having freaky sex ever since you showed up here," He warned with a small smirk. He would do it too; he liked watching the other male freak out and then get beaten up by the guard.

The door was suddenly thrown open by a rather disheveled looking Maka. Her hair was loose, tangled and wild around her face, her eyes had dark bags implying she'd been sleepless, and she was wearing but a large T-shirt and a pair of cropped denim shorts. She had one hadn on the door handle and the other on the doorframe, a wild glint in her eyes. "Don't. You. Dare!" She snarled lowly.

"Mind if I come sit down while you make yourself pretty for Daddy dearest?" He asked in a too-sweet tone with a big grin in place. She growled lowly at him, lip twitching up like an annoyed dog, before rolling her eyes and stepping back inside. He walked in and perked up when he noticed a movie was playing on the small laptop he'd had put in here for her about a week ago.

In specific, he was surprised to see that it was the musical _Chicago_.

"I didn't know you liked musicals," He commented while watching the screen. It was currently the scene with the Cell Block Tango. Maka was rummaging through her closet, pulling out a clean shirt, when she glanced over her shoulder at him. "I just figured you weren't really into music that much and just did it to get paid."

"My mother was a musician when she was younger," She said, turning to fully face him. Soul blinked and looked at her in surprise. Was she actually opening up to him? Despite him helping one of her closest friends betray her trust? "Some of the few good memories I have of her involve music; it's because of that and getting paid that I sing." She answered before brushing past him and heading to her bathroom to change. Kami's ghost sat on the bed and watched the pair.

This time around, however, Soul was again oblivious to her.

Maka returned a good ten minutes later in a regular blue T-shirt and her hair tugged into her usual pigtails. "Let's get this over with. You said he's at the fence, right?" She asked as she headed out the door. Soul followed her, making sure to shut the door behind himself.

"Yeah but we can let him in," He said calmly. Maka shook her head and shot him a meaningful look, not once breaking step. He blinked a bit and sighed. "You don't want to let him in." It wasn't a question and he knew it; it was simply a fact.

"It'll be easier to get rid of him if we don't let him in," She answered calmly. He nodded and they walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the fence she had a harsh look on her face. "Hello, Papa." She said in a tone so empty it made everyone (even the guard) cringed.

"Maka-Chan, what do you think you're doing here?" Spirit whispered lightly, his hands wrapping tightly on the bars. His eyes shimmered with concern on the young woman. "This isn't a safe place for a sweet, innocent girl like you! You should be home with your Papa, where it's safe!"

"Is it **really** safe there, Papa?" She asked coldly. She tiled her head forward so that they were eye to eye. "All those times you left me alone, in the middle of the night, while you were out chasing skirts… Was I safe then? If a burglar had broken in would I have been safe, **just** because I was in what was supposed to be my house? Or what about those women you'd bring home? You'd know them for, what, the total of one evening and assume it was **okay for them to stay over**? What if they were in debt and needed to trade in something for money? What if I got **kidnapped** and put on the **slave market**? Would I **still** be safe from those kinds of threats **just** because I was **under your roof** Papa?" Her voice grew and became more scornful as she listed of all the possible threats; Spirit's face paled and filled with horror as his daughter rambled on.

"Maka-Chan, please-"

"No! For once just **shut up and let me talk**! It's my turn to talk, not yours!" She exploded, her voice raising an octave and sounding more hysterical than normally. "All my life, **Mama** was the one who kept me safe where you were off sleeping with any girl who would let you! When she died I was left all alone, left to stand on my own two feet all the time! Why? Because you were too busy **sleeping around** and **getting drunk** because you were **apparently** grieving! And **like Hell** you were grieving over Mama! If you were **really** grieving, given that it was your fault she died, you wouldn't be out there with other women still! **Anywhere away from you is safer for me than that pathetic building you want to call a home**! A home is a place someone goes to feel safe, loved and relaxed; **I haven't felt that way in that house since I was five**!" Maka was panting and clenching her fists by the time she paused in her screaming tirade to recollect her thoughts. Blair was covering her mouth with her hands and looking between Spirit and Maka frantically. Soul stayed quiet, observing the two wordlessly. "So just… Just go back to that sham of a home by yourself. I have things I need to finish here and you'll be nothing but a hindrance." She mumbled before taking a step back and dropping her head.

'_Please… Please don't keep fighting. Please don't make me crumb even more. I don't know how much more I can take,'_ She thought shakily. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath but it only made her insides tremble and shake even more. She was satisfied yet disappointed when Spirit released the bars, his arms dropping to his sides, and he walked away.

"Wait, Spirit-Kun! Maka-Chan doesn't mean it; she'd just mad!" Blair cried while chasing after him. Soul was glad that she'd handle damage control with the other male. Whether Kami coming to him earlier was just a hallucination on his part or an actual haunting, he did realize that he could help Maka overcome her inner turmoil.

For some reason, he felt like he owed her for letting him join her group of performers. He glanced down and saw a few drops of a blood come from her balled hands; she'd broken the skin. He carefully lifted her hands in his own and pulled them apart. He examined the cuts, saw they were nothing too major, and smiled a bit to himself in slight relief. He then leaned forward and kissed her hands. "He had it comin', He had it comin', He had it comin all along (2)," He half muttered, half sang against her hand; it was off key and sounded wrong but he didn't care.

It made her laugh and proved that he had the best timing ever.

…

Tsubaki had been doing her best to fight off her depression the past two days but it wasn't easy. She had known Maka would react poorly to the news but she hadn't expected this. _'I should have told her the truth… If I had been honest she may have respected my decision and let me go with her full support,'_ She thought sadly. She sighed and shook her head. _'I've never been such a sneaky person; I don't like the way it makes me feel. I need to be honest to myself and everyone, just like I usually am! I can't go losing myself just because I have a boyfriend now!'_ She decided with stern resolve.

This decision was forgotten when she heard whispering coming from Kid's private study, which she'd been walking past.

"Kid, are you sure that we should really do something so serious? I mean, threatening to beat the kid just because he's getting cozy with Maka seems a little… over the top," She heard Liz say worriedly. She clapped a hand over her mouth to hide the gasp she almost released at the words. It didn't take a genius to piece together what they were talking about and Tsubaki was a clever little girl.

"We aren't going to threaten to beat him up, Liz," Kid said delicately. He sounded like a parent that was scolding a child for doing something simple wrong. "We're just going to warn him that, should he ever try to hurt Maka in any way, that we have ways of getting back at him. Whether it will be slandering his family, destruction of property on the manor grounds or something like a mugging by unknown assailants in an alley is all subject to debate."

"Hee hee! As if he wouldn't know it was us!" Patty laughed lightly.

"Either way, we are just going to put this out as a warning; we need to assure that our group doesn't take another heavy hit, after all," Kid said sternly.

Tsubaki took a deep breath and quickly shuffled back the way she'd come. _'Maka-Chan… So I'm not the only one who has seen how she seems different around Soul,'_ She thought. She smiled a bit at the hope her friend may be in love. _'I know I said I wasn't going to sneak around anymore but… I cannot let them do this! Soul hasn't done anything wrong!'_ She thought strongly. The thought of Maka being happy again was just so beautiful to her that she had to fight for it. She saw this as her chance to repent for lying to the other girl.

Plus Black*Star would get a kick out of helping her come up with a plan.

End

(1) Ophelia – Te paper pretty much explains that whole situation for me, but now you understood why I made sure to highlight that Hamlet reference I made earlier. The way her mother's death is covered is part of the reason Maka sees her condition the way she does; it's her form (or, rather, my form) of dark humor.

(2) The line Soul says is from _The Cell Block Tango_, from _Chicago_. I actually haven't seen that movie yet but I have heard a lot of the soundtrack and loved that song in specific.

Notes time~! :

So what do you all think? Is Kami really a ghost or is Soul just hallucinating like Maka?

I felt like bullying Spirit a little this chapter. He kinda earned it, when you think about it (even though he does try really hard in the series to do better by Maka…).

Kid was a little OOC this time but, then again, this story is a little on the darker side; I'm trying to take attributes of each character and make them a little more severe (I.E. Kid's need to be in control). Plus, he's a gangster so it's all good.

Sorry this chapter was kinda depressing; next chapter should be a little better.

Next Chapter:

After another run-in with their old pianist, Chrona, Maka reaches her breaking point and jumps Medusa (with backup from the Thompson girls) at a party; a party, mind you all, that is being hosted by the very Dukedom she's currently residing with. Soul decides that he should never, ever suggest that Black*Star and Maka team up; it could cause the end of the world. Stein learns that payback is an even **bigger** bitch when you **don't** know what you've done wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, to address shanagi95's question from the last chapter, Soul can sing he just thought that singing badly would help make Maka feel better.

Chapter Twelve

Things seemed to be going okay with the group right now. After her little melt down a few days ago with her father, Maka seemed to be feeling much better. She hadn't specifically apologized to Tsubaki but the pair where on friendly terms again. Soul could still sense some tension between Maka and Black*Star but he brushed that off pretty easily; they were never particularly fond of one another so it wasn't too much of a difference. Today, the group was left to its own devices for one big reason; Marie had bailed out to go on a **date**.

Stein was not amused.

He had left to tail her and told them to make sure to work on the ten pieces they'd discussed last rehearsal. Nobody remembered what songs they were so they were just sort of playing what they wanted, which was actually pretty liberating. Though no one said it, they all had a small grudge against Masumi for bringing in the professionals and ruining the dynamic that had worked well enough for them until that point.

"Hello, you all! I need to ask a quick favor~!" A cheerful voice sang out from one end of the door. Everyone cringed at the sounds of Soul's mother (even Soul).

"It better not be another benefits concert; I need a little money to buy some things," Liz grumbled lowly, shooting Soul a glare. He glared right back at her.

"What? I can't control her!" He hissed out lowly while heading to get the door.

"Yes, but she is your mother; at least attempt to put her on a leash or something," Liz snorted back. She made sure to clam up when Duchess Evans entered, though; they all knew that talking shit was fine as long as she wasn't around to hear it. They didn't even want to try to imagine what could be done to them if she heard and took offense.

"What do you need, Mother?" Soul asked as she walked in. Masumi was wearing her usual smile as she looked around at the other teenagers in the room. Maka put on a small smile and waved a bit while the Thompson sisters ignored her. Kid was tuning his violin and Tsubaki was lost in a conversation with Black*Star (about how great Black*Star was, naturally).

"Well, we're going to be hosting a party tomorrow evening for all of the upcoming musicians and I was hoping you all wouldn't mind playing there," She said simply. Soul glanced around the room and already knew the answer; they did not want to do it. He knew his mother wouldn't offer (or agree to if they asked) to pay for their services and he knew that some of their members really needed the cold hard cash. "Also, if you have any jazzy sounding pieces sing those. This is a perky, happy-go-lucky occasion!" She cheered before disappearing behind the door again. She walked down the hall with a smirk, making sure to move fast in case Soul pursued her to shoot her down.

There was no way they could be ready by then and she wanted to see them crash and burn. Masumi loved Soul to pieces, but he had always been a somewhat difficult little brat that never let her have peace of mind. She just didn't understand why he had to associate with lower class, shirk his responsibilities to the family, and then hide out during his private piano lessons. She was actually surprised that he behaved himself during rehearsals but she knew exactly why; Maka Albarn. He listened during rehearsal because he knew that she wanted him to and, on occasions as of late, the Duchess would find her youngest awake rehearsing pieces that Maka specifically pointed out to him. There was something about that lower class piece of garbage that completely enthralled her son.

And with God as her witness, Masumi Evans was not about to let her son be whipped into shape by some impish little gutter brat.

"Well isn't she just peachy keen?" Liz laughed out sarcastically. Soul glared at her and she glared right back at him. "We aren't doing it. We cannot do another gig for free! We work at Kid's place because in exchange we get room, board and food but no paycheck! I need to go shopping for new clothes; a lot of what I have right now has holes in it!"

"Liz, calm down and take a breath," Maka said suddenly, causing all eyes to turn to her. She had a calm and collected expression in her face, though there was a small sparkle of annoyance in her large jade orbs. "I talked with Blair earlier today and she says she got us three high paying gigs one right after the other in five days. Let's just do this thing for the Evans to keep Soul from getting ripped a new one by his parents and you'll get reimbursed in just a few days, okay?" She explained. Liz blinked a few times then grinned brightly and pumped one fist in the air.

"Why didn't you mention that earlier? I wouldn't have made such a big deal about everything if I'd known that!" She laughed loudly. She grinned at Patty eagerly. "You hear that, Pat? We're going to get to go get new clothes soon!"

"Yay!" Patty squealed eagerly, throwing her arms in the air. Soul kept his slight annoyance at not being offered so much as an apologetic glance to himself, figuring it was better to avoid starting a fight over something so trivial.

He then shifted his gaze toward Maka, who was already looking through the binder of sheet music. "Do we have the kind of music my Mother said she wanted us to play?" He asked worriedly. She glanced up at him and grinned slightly.

"Yeah, we've got that covered. I'm just making sure Stein didn't take them out," She explained simply. She then shook her head. "I've been going through this thing the last few days and noticed a few of the pieces we as a group wrote together were missing. We can make copies if we have to, since I have another binder with ever song we've written in every part, it's just that it would be a pain in the ass." She said with a small sigh. She then grinned brightly. "Awesome! He left the songs I'm thinking of in here!" She cheered enthusiastically.

"Well that's definitely a good thing," Soul said in relief. The thought of having to run to some place in town to get copies made hadn't been very appealing; especially since he'd probably end up being the one who'd have to foot the bill for it.

"Okay everyone, we're going to start practicing for tomorrow," Maka announced cheerfully as she pointed to the title of the first song.

…

Stein was always very good at stealth and blending into a crowd; it wasn't something required of his job but a habit he'd picked up in his youth. Sneaking into Spirit's home to perform experiments on the sleeping male had been a grand way to learn how. But now, watching to see what Marie was up to, he found himself grateful for it. The silver haired male couldn't explain why the thought of the woman going on a date irked him but it did.

He assumed it was from a professional stance; he couldn't be the Patchwork Conductor without his Seamstress Soprano.

He saw her sipping coffee with a handsome gentleman that Stein had the oddest inkling that he knew at a small café. She was wearing her usual smile in place and had a keen interest in her eyes. Stein was a little astonished as he realized she had put on a little bit of make-up and was wearing a cobalt tinted dress that brought out the shimmer in her hair and light of her eyes. He could understand why the other male was so strictly watching her; she was breath-taking.

He waited until the man excused himself briefly to make an approach at his cohort. She glanced up while taking a small sip from her cup and stared at him in alarm. "Stein! What are you doing here?" She yelped while jumping to her feet, the tea cup clattering back to its proper place without, luckily enough, spilling a drop of the liquid inside. "You have to leave! Now!"

"Why do you say that? And why are you so suddenly interested in the idea of dating?" Stein started out, his tone the usual calm and collected pitch he always held. She sighed lightly and shook her head at him.

"It's not really a date-date. BJ was in town and asked if he could treat me to lunch so we could talk about what happened way back when," Marie said while rubbing the back of her neck lightly. Grey orbs widened at this. He suddenly realized how he remembered the other male; BJ had been a clarinet player travelling with their group about three years ago. He and Marie had dated for a while and then he proposed; she happily agreed but, on the day of the day of the ceremony he fled the church and hadn't been seen ever since.

Marie had been devastated and it took months for her to recover. In those months, Stein had cancelled the tour and they stayed at that spot. Stein wasn't too good with emotions but even he had understood how terribly Marie had been crushed; no one should ever be left waiting at the altar. Six months later, they went back on tour but she had refused to sing again. It took another six months for her to actually perform with the group again.

Needless to say, Stein wanted to dissect that guy while his heart was still beating.

"Marie, you cannot be serious about this! That man broke your heart!" He snapped sternly. Marie opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by a newcomer to the conversation.

"And who are you to talk?" BJ's tone was gruff and powerful just as the conductor remembered. The pair shifted their focus to him as he headed back over. "You understand nothing but formulas and theories; you are barely even human. You delight in taking things apart in seeing how they work in yet you can't grasp something as basic as human feelings. I may have run away once, but that was only because I was unsure of myself. In the last few years, I've come to truly grasp who I am and what I want out of life." He then turned to Marie and took her hands in his, locking her gaze with his own. "Marie, I know I hurt you once but I am stronger now. In all this time, I never forgot you and have regretted it every second of every day. Please give me another chance to give you the happiness and love you truly deserve."

Stein was floored by this declaration. This man really thought that Marie would forgive him, just like that? He had put her through so much pain and suffering and here he was, trying to use pretty words to smooth it all over again. He was tempted to chuckle at the thought until he saw something.

There was a certain glint to Marie's eyes.

Women loved romance and this, although coming from a man whom had hurt her before, was a romantic confession. Stein felt his stomach drop as he remembered his conversation with Marie from the other day in his office. She had been talking about wanting to settle down, about wanting to get married and having a batch of children. And he always knew that someday she'd most likely have that desire; and he also knew she deserved that joy because she'd be a damn good mother.

And then, just days after said conversation, BJ shows up promising her everything she wanted.

"Stein," Marie said softly, glancing at him, "I want you to go back to the Evans house. I need some time to speak with BJ in private about what he's asking of me." He nodded and turned quickly on his heels, marching away. He already knew that she'd be saying yes. She was ready to move on with her life and give up the life of a performer.

This just left him to wonder if that made her a fool, or made her more mature than he could ever hope to be.

…

Soul had almost never seen Maka with her hair down and, though he didn't want to admit it, she looked great like that. She was currently combing through it after chasing Blair, who had been holding a can of hair spray and curling iron in her hands, off saying she wanted to keep her hair–do basic. "You realize that Mother will probably find your simplicity insulting, right?" Soul asked calmly. Maka glanced up then smirked and smoothed out her pure white dress with the red ribbon around her waist.

"Good. Your mother needs to learn how to deal with different types of people; including people who don't care what she thinks or says," She grinned impishly which caused Soul to laugh. No one dared to try fighting with Masumi Evans; Hell, even his father would step lightly when talking with his wife! Maka was either extremely brave or extremely stupid.

"You're crazy, you know that?" He asked as they headed out to the stage. The curtains were currently drawn as they were getting ready. She grinned at him as she repositioned the microphone so she could speak into it easier.

"You act like that's news to you," She said cheekily. Tsubaki was smiling as she watched the two, also noting how Kid clenched his fists at the sight. She remembered what she'd overheard the other three saying the other day and her smile faded a little bit. She had voiced her concerns to Black*Star and he had, surprisingly enough, sobered up and listened intently. He had then agreed that they needed to step in and stop the three from doing anything risky to his friend.

Their plan was that they were going to watch the other three and move as soon as the others tried to.

'_I just hope that they aren't going to put up too much of a fight with us over it,'_ Tsubaki thought sadly. She quickly plastered on a happy face as the curtain started its slow accent. Maka looked back at her, grinned and flashed a small thumbs up. _'The Maka I knew growing up wouldn't have forgiven me for what happened so eagerly or easily. She needs to stay with Soul; he's making her better.'_ She thought while giving a small wave in return.

"Hello everyone," Maka greeted cheerfully to the soft applause they received. She noticed, in the back, something that made her falter for a moment. Chrona was standing there, wearing an all black tuxedo, with his mother, Medusa.

Medusa Gorgon was a wearing tight blue dress that reached to her ankles. It had a low cut neckline with what appeared to be white fur along it. Her long sandy blonde hair was tied off in its usual braid. She was also holding a wine glass and watching Maka with a devious smirk on her lips, bronze orbs shimmering with cruel humor. In the years they'd worked with Chrona, Medusa had proved to be a horrible woman with a harsh tongue and vindictive nature. She would lock Chrona in rooms for days if he had difficulty with a song when he was younger. She always claimed to do it to instill the training of perfectionism into him but really she was just plain harsh.

No one would rat her out, though, because she was so high up in society.

"Tonight we hope to enthrall you all with an upbeat batch of tunes you can enjoy dancing to, okay?" Maka said cheerfully, winking and setting one finger by her lips. She had seen the pose struck by the cutesy female characters in a lot of television shows when she was younger. "So relax, have a good time and let us entertain you with our music styling!" She giggled before stepping back a bit from the mic to take a breath. The others were ready at their instruments and with her return to her previous stance they struck up the intro for the song.

_Nobody knows the way I'm feelin'.  
>I try to scream instead I smile.<br>The world is strange.  
>I must be dreamin'.<br>How can I stop this just for a while?_

Maka let herself sway and smile as she sang. She remembered writing this song just about a month before she came here with the help of Blair. The purple haired woman had suggested they do something that Maka could dance to. She was very grateful she had listened to the other woman; the enjoyment from the song was keeping her from freaking out about Medusa.

_The morning rain will soon be falling  
>But I don't care 'cause I've already cried.<br>Can't see the meaning of this  
>But one thing's certain<br>I'm afraid I'm losin' my mind._

Masumi was surprised and enraged a bit by the performance. First song up and already they were doing so well! A few guests were grinning and whispering, saying they'd need to recruit the group to play at their next get together. This was not what was supposed to happen! She scowled and took a sip of her wine, deciding she'd have to take an alternative measure in getting rid of that ashy haired street rat.

_Somebody else will be his girlfriend.  
>Somebody else will have his heart.<br>But still I love him so  
>How could I let him go?<br>I was foolin' myself._

Soul watched Maka from the corner of his eye and couldn't help but smile. He was surprised at how much happier she seemed now that she'd literally blown up at her dad. Then again, he had a hunch she'd been taking on all the guilt and responsibility all these years. He found it terribly depressing and was grateful for this shift. Seeing her all happy and bubbly like this sort of… Well, it made him feel something he couldn't quite place his finger on.

_The sky is blue and birds are singing.  
>The sun does shine<br>And kids are playing game._

Chrona was shaking as he watched his mother. The pure contempt in her eyes was the cause of his unrest. She had never liked Maka and when Chrona had been tossed out of the band Medusa had sworn to have her revenge at some point. Luckily enough, their lack of contact with her seemed to be protecting her and the rest of the group from his mother's fury but Chrona was still afraid. They had been his friends at one point (though he had alienated himself from them) and he didn't want them to be hurt because of his actions. His gaze then shifted to their new pianist; the guy was rude but he seemed confident and strong.

Yes, Chrona decided; he'd have to go to Soul Evans about his concerns.

_What have I done?  
>What was I thinking?<br>The only thing to do is hide in shame._

Maka locked eyes with Medusa as she sang. Instead of freak out like she would have normally, she merely smirked and winked at the other woman. Medusa's eyes widened and she glared. Chrona flinched at her side and Maka almost regretted the gesture. When she saw Soul smirk and shake his head a bit, realizing he himself had seen the gesture, she felt significantly better. She then resumed her bizarre little song and dance.

_Somebody else will be his girlfriend.  
>Somebody else will have his heart.<br>But still I love him so  
>How could I let him go?<br>I was foolin' myself._

A strange thought occurred to Masumi as she watched the group perform. Wes had mentioned their previous pianist had been thrown out due to conflicts within the group. From what had been explained, the whole group had been deeply upset by the split. She grinned a bit as she took another small sip from her glass. She had just found her way to get back at Maka Albarn for succeeding where she had failed.

_Somebody else will be his girlfriend.  
>Somebody else will have his heart.<br>But still I love him so  
>How could I let him go?<br>I was foolin' myself.  
>I was foolin' myself. (1)<em>

…

Maka was smiling and happy as she headed to the little buffet area in search of a tasty snack. "Hello, Maka," A dull female voice purred behind her. Her eyes started twitching as soon as she recognized who it was. She took a deep breath and forced herself to remain composed before turning and smiling pleasantly at the other woman.

"Hello, Lady Gorgon," She said politely. Medusa giggled and waved one hand at her lightly.

"Oh, Maka, we've known each other for so long don't be so formal! You can just call me Medusa like all my friends do!" She giggled happily.

"I didn't realize you **had** friends," Maka let it slip with her smile still in place. She berated herself in her head, lamenting her own lack of self control, as she watched the other woman's smile fade to a haughty sneer.

"Such biting remarks from the daughter of a washed up **hack** and a male **whore**," She retorted smugly. The smaller girl went rigid at that, head dipping so her eyes were hidden. "You act all high and mighty just because you are working with the Evans youngest son but really you're pitiful. That boy has been the laughing stock of his family since he was old enough to walk. He may seem talented to you, since none of you know true talent, but really he's pathetic when compared to his brother or father. You made a big mistake when you threw my Chrona out of your group. But then again, what is to be expected from the daughter of Kami Albarn? A woman who was so stupid she killed herself over a good-for-nothing man!" Medusa was laughing at her remarks, not sensing the horrific aura vibrating off the smaller figure.

Maka was filling with rage at every word the other woman said. Who the hell did she think she was to say such things? Maka was used to being insulted but here Medusa was insulting Soul! He had done nothing to Medusa, had done nothing to anyone! She felt her fists clench at every harsh word, every mocking remark, directed at the young pianist. Sure, he was a bit of a pain in the ass and had a frisky attitude and could stand to have a slice of humble pie but those were some of the attributes about him that Maka liked the most! Something in her, upon hearing him insulted so, snapped like a rope too tightly pulled.

And Maka had another lapse of judgment right then; she threw herself into the other woman and knocked them both to the floor in a mess of flailing limbs.

All eyes shifted to them as Maka forced herself up, straddling the older woman, and punched her right in the jaw. Everyone gasped as Medusa's head jerked to the side from the blow. The rest of the group rushed over as the two women clawed, punched, and bit one another in the middling of the floor. Tsubaki started running around like a chicken with its head chopped off, trying to figure out what to do. Kid, being himself like always, fainted at the sight of such horrific asymmetry. Black*Star was pointing and laughing like there was no tomorrow. The most bizarre thing was that both Thompson sisters remained surprisingly stoic and calm. "Liz, Patty, do something!" Soul declared, pointing and looking back over at the fray. His eye twitched a bit and his nose gushed blood when he noticed Maka's dress had ridden up, showing off a bit of the pink fabric of her panties.

Liz and Patty exchanged looks before shrugging. "Kick her ass, Maka! Show that old bitch whose boss!" Liz declared proudly.

"Punch her right in her **ugly-ass face**! Now knee her in the stomach!" Patty gushed excitedly, twirling in a circle as she yelled. Soul jolting her attention back to them while holding a handkerchief to his nose.

"That isn't what I meant! **Stop them**!" He snapped out. The pair blinked before again shrugging and heading over. Liz grabbed Maka by the waist, hauling her off, while Patty went over and offered her hand to Medusa. Soul noticed that Patty did kick Medusa in the stomach before helping her back up, but took what he could get. Liz hurried Maka out and Soul pursued while he left the others to deal with the commotion of the aftermath.

"What the hell were you thinking, attacking her like that? I mean, I bet it felt great to punch her in that smug ass face of hers," He heard Liz saying tiredly in the hall, "but you know there's a time and a place to kick ass!"

"She crossed the line," Maka said blandly. She was seated on the ground against a wall, looking off to the side and Soul then noticed, as he got closer, there was a set of long red marks on her cheek. Blood was oozing out at a slow pace.

"I'll handle it from here, Liz," Soul announced as he got closer. The other girl looked at him, cobalt spheres widened a bit in surprise. He pulled back out the handkerchief, knelt down beside Maka and held it to her bleeding cheek. "Just go make sure Kid didn't get trampled or anything, passing out like an idiot."

"Sure," She said before heading back toward the doors. She cast a look over her shoulder at him and sighed. She felt sort of bad for what they were going to do to him; he wasn't all that bad, really.

"So what did you she do; insult your shoes?" Soul asked flatly, trying to make a joke of it. A sharp look from Maka shot down that angle. He settled in front of her so he could get a better look at her. The left strap of her dress had a tear in it but could be fixed with a little bit of sewing. There were more scratch marks on her arms but they were just angry red lines; it looked like the only good hit came to the broken skin on her face. He had also seen Medusa sock Maka in the side of the head, but he had a hunch a little bit of ice would take care of that easily enough. "She said something about your family, huh?" He asked again.

"Only one comment about them. And I'm used to hearing it so that didn't matter," Ah, so he finally had her talking! Maybe now he could make some progress. "She was… Saying mean stuff about someone else…" He could tell by her tone she was trying to shut down again.

"Was it about Chrona?" He asked quickly. She shook her head without looking up. "Kid?" Another shake. "Tsubaki?" Another shake. "Liz or Patty?" Yet another shake. He thought for a moment then sighed. "She didn't say anything about you, because I know you don't care what she'd have to say. And I know it couldn't have been Black*Star. If she had said anything about him you would have hugged her instead of attacking her like a rabid wildebeest." He earned a muffled giggle for that one and smiled lightly in pride. As he thought it over more, though, he finally caught on and a somber expression came to his features. "She said something about me, didn't she?" And then there was complete silence and stillness from the young woman before him. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, a little irked to be gossiped about. "Not cool."

"She had no right," Maka mumbled suddenly. Soul leaned forward and angled his head downward so that he could see her face. He was stunned to see tears starting to spill over her eyes. "She has problems with me and decided to drag you into it too but that isn't fair! You haven't done anything to her! You're, like, the only completely innocent party in this whole situation!" She was started to talk louder from frustration as she explained. Soul's features shifted from surprise to a gentle gratitude. "And now I'm crying and I sound like an idiot and-"She skid to halt when Soul suddenly embraced her tightly, her head pressed to his chest.

"Thank you," He whispered, voice thick with so much emotion, "for standing up for me. Thank you so much." Maka blinked a bit in surprise before closing her eyes and letting her tears continue to fall.

Instead of speaking, she wove her arms around him and just enjoyed this feeling of warmth.

End

(1) Foolin' by Alexander Rybak. All I did was tweak the lyrics slightly to make the gender correct since Maka is a female singer. The reason for using this artist again is simple; I want his Norwegian babies. :3

Notes until next time:

Surprise~! Since you all gave me love I decided to give you so love too~! Soul and Maka got to hug~! (Don't worry; we're getting closer to kissing and such!)

Maka sure has a lot of enemies, doesn't she? I think they're all jealous at how epic she is! Also, I hope you all liked that little cat-fight; I can tell you Soul enjoyed it a little too much! ;)

Hope you're all ready for some debauchery and what-not in the next chapter! It's going to be half-tragedy and half-comedy~!

On a last note, I added some stuff to my profile that you might want to check out! I added some new quotes (from my real life), two new story summaries, the results of that poll I uploaded a while ago, as well as a new thing called Chapter Expectancy. As you can guess, it's me explaining my plans for my new stories and about what length I'll be aiming for with them. If you check it out and have any questions about anything, PM me; I promise to reply within a day or two. I also uploaded a new poll but it doesn't have anything to do with these stories I've currently uploaded. I've started the plotting and such for my upcoming fanfics and need your opinions on a certain matter involving one and hope you'll all respond to it so I can finish up the brainstorming process. :3

Next Chapter:

When Soul's beloved grandmother dies, he finds himself comforted by a surprisingly supportive Maka Albarn; he also comes to terms with the fact that he is, in fact, attracted to her. Maka finally opens up to Soul completely and tells him everything there is to be told about her family and her life; prepare for First person flashbacks. Blair isn't too sure but, after bailing four members of her band and a loud-mouth boy with blue hair out of prison, she has this growing hunch that she should be keeping a better eye on those teenagers.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Thirteen

Soul awoke to hearing soft murmurs outside of his door. He glanced at his clock to see that it was almost noon. He jumped up in alarm. Maka usually woke him up way before that! Had she gotten sick again? He wasn't sure how she would have managed that but he found it to be a plausible argument. He darted to the door, flinging it open to find his brother and father standing there, troubled expressions on both their faces. He skid to a stop and blinked a few times. "What did Black*Star break this time?" He asked with a small sigh, taking a tip from what happened last time they both came to him.

"This isn't about Black*Star, Soul," His father said in his deep, baritone voice. Something was off, however; his father's voice was hoarse, as if he'd been screaming or… "Son, you should sit down."

"What happened?" Soul asked shakily, looking between his brother and father frantically. Wes looked down, his eyes starting to mist over and his father took a shaky breath. Panic started to fill up Soul's chest, making it hard to breath. "What the hell happened? What is wrong with you two? You're acting like somebody died!" He cried out. And then, just like that, it hit him.

Somebody in his family had died.

"Soul, come into the dining room with us. Your mother is there with some tea to help us all calm down. We'll talk about everything there," William Evans said, turning on his heels. Soul snatched up the nearest shirt on his floor, an orange T-shirt, and shoved it on as he followed his other male relatives down the long corridor.

When he entered the dining room he saw his mother was wearing a somber expression' it seemed so foreign and unnatural on her face. She was staring down into her tea cup, one finger absently tracing the rim of the cup. Soul sat and a cup was set in front of him as well. "Okay, what the hell is going on?" He growled out lowly. It didn't sound very threatening because of the fear starting to claw its way into his voice.

"Soul, there's no easy way to say this," William said as he sank into a chair himself. He kept his gaze downcast. "I'm just going to come out and say it. Your grandmother died this morning." He said gently. Scarlet eyes widened in horror and devastation. "It is said that it was peaceful, that she went in her sleep. She hadn't been feeling well the last month or two and they believe that her cold finally got the better of her weakened body."

Soul didn't hear anything else his father was saying, though. It was all blurred out as he saw himself, as a young five year old, sitting in his grandmother's lap at the keyboard of a large black piano. _"Now, Soul, this is something I'm going to share with you and you alone. I have shared this melody with no one; not your father, mother, or brother. And do you know why? Because we are kindred spirits, you and I,"_ She said, her pale red eyes softening on his. He stared up at her in wonder as she leaned down and kissed his forehead. _"People see nothing but rebellious good-for-nothing slackers when they look at us but we're the talented ones here. Always remember that and find yourself a lover who gets that, okay? Ah, now where was I? Oh, yes, the song!"_ She had laughed and then set her hands on the keys to start up the tune.

Soul was horrified to realize, now, that he could not recall the beautiful sounds his mother had played for him.

"Oh, Soul, sweetheart," His mother cooed while standing up and approaching him. As she reached him, aiming to wrap her arms around him, he smacked her hands away and stood, sending his chair flying toward the floor. "Soul!" She cried in surprise as he took off running down the hall.

He ran straight to Maka's room, threw the door open and slammed it shut and locked it as quickly as he could. He heard a few noises come from the bathroom and suddenly Maka stood there in the door way, wearing a yellow spaghetti strap dress that reached her knees. There was a fluffy white towel wrapped around her neck and the fresh scent of jasmine shampoo was radiating off of her in waves. She had a toothbrush in her mouth and some of the cleaning froth bubbling around her mouth.

"Ever hear of knocking?" She asked with a simple roll of the eyes before returning to the bathroom. He heard her turn on the faucet, spit and rinse her toothbrush before she returned to him. She then blinked and seemed to see him full for the first time. "Soul… You're crying. What's wrong?" She asked, walking over cautiously and cupping his face.

At this simple touch he suddenly understood why his mother had approached him. But he didn't want her embrace, her false affection to sooth him. In all Soul's years, he'd never been faced with the crippling grief of losing someone he loved. His other grandparents had died before he was born or old enough to remember anything of them. But his father's mother, his grandmother Claire, she had been the only member of this family to understand him. She was the reason he played piano, the reason why he was able to be so confident and self-assured.

Maka slid her hands from his face to weave around his shoulders and pulled him close. It was this moment that his knees, shaking beneath him like a newborn folly, gave way. He hid his face into her stomach and cried his damned heart out. Her fingers on one hand mused through his hair, a sweet and delicate gesture that was keeping him grounded in reality, while the other wove little circles along his back. At any other time he'd be blushing and groaning about how "uncool" this position was but he needed this right now.

She said nothing and asked nothing of him while he let out all his frustration, sorrow and confusion in those tears.

When he had finished his moment, he released her and slumped against her door. She slid down and sat beside him, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. He was grateful that she didn't have a curious glint to her eyes; just concern for his well-being. "My grandmother passed away this morning," He offered after taking a shaky breath. She said nothing and just waited, giving him all the time he needed to gather his thoughts and feelings. "She was the only one in this family that gave two shits about what I felt or thought. She was the one who taught me the basics of playing piano, the basics of enjoying music. I… I was supposed to go see her in two weeks and show her what I'd learned! I wanted her to see that I was really amounting to something, just like she always said I would!" He pounded his fist into the wall angrily, his voice rising in volume as he spoke. "How is this fair? Why did she have to go before I could… Before I could show her that I understood everything she told me?"

Finally Maka reached out and took his hand delicately in hers. "I have no idea how you must feel, Soul," She said finally, "and I am sorry for that." Jade orbs locked with crimson ones. "I may have lost my mother but I… I sort of expected it to happen sooner or later, I guess. I've been thinking about it a lot more lately and the main reason I was so upset when she died was because I saw it coming. I knew she was going to be dying soon and I didn't try to stop it."

"What do you mean?" Soul asked softly. Maka let out a hollow little chuckle and looked at him, her eyes suddenly void of any real emotion.

"This is going to be a long story but I think I'm ready to tell somebody about it," She said softly. She looked at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and then looked back at him. "My mother didn't die of an illness like I said before; she killed herself. But, in order for you to understand what I'm saying, you have to know about the events leading up to that final day of hers."

…

At my fifth birthday party, I learned the truth about my family and my life. My father was sleeping around and my mother resented me. She saw me as the thing holding her back from having a career in music again. My mother's personality changed a lot after the incident at the pizza parlor and it was certainly not for the better. All the good memories I hold close to my heart took place before that time for a very good reason.

At first it was pretty simple, really. To deal with the side effects of the depression caused by my father's promiscuous ways, she started out simply taking sugar pills and swigs off a bottle of vodka she kept hidden in the cabinet so that she could keep up her energy during the day. I pretended not to recognize the smell of booze on her breath or the glassy glint that would sometimes come to her eyes as a sign of intoxication; I had seen my father like that before and knew what it looked like to be drunk. I figured it was better not to mention it, though, since I didn't really understand what was going on at the time. All I knew was that it was bad and I wanted to make it better; thus, if my silence was necessary, I would offer it up happily.

When my mother tripped at the park one day and knocked herself out because of how drunk she was, though, I noticed that things were worse during my silence.

My parents fought like cats and dogs when my mother returned from the hospital a few days later. They forgot I was there and I heard all the shouts, insults and curses they let loose on one another from my bedroom. I tried to let myself get lost in one of the many picture books we kept in my room for bedtime but it didn't work. It was impossible to let myself go into a fairytale world filled with happily ever after's while my real world was turning completely on its head. It was then that I learned the true cruelty that those "dirty words" as I knew them at the time, could cause.

The fights always started out the same way, up until my mother fell "ill" and all fights seemed to just die out. They would start out arguing over which one of them was really looking out for my best interests; they'd use harsh tones and slightly raised vices but it was normally relatively tame at this point. It was a sign to me I wasn't as important as all the issues going on between them. Then one of them would make a remark about the other's bad habit (my father's skirt-chasing, my mother's drinking) and things would just move from there. Accusations would fly of them intentionally trying to sabotage one another with the marriage.

It was when I was seven year's old that my mother started her work on changing my outlook on the world.

We were at the market grocery shopping. We were standing in line, waiting to pay, when we spotted a young cashier crying to another woman. "Oh, Angie, it was just terrible! He just used me and then he left me! All he cared about was sex and once he got that he ran off with some bimbo!" The woman was sobbing. My mother's grip on my hand tightened as the other woman's words spilled out and I let out a small whimper, trying to alert her to my pain.

"Mama, you're hurting me. You're holding my hand too tightly," I fussed lightly. She turned her gaze to me and she leaned down, a sharp and bitter hinting to her eyes. I had flinched a bit but was restricted from running away because of her grip on me and my own fear.

"There is no such thing as getting something for free, Maka," She had snapped out in a low snarl. I felt my eyes start to sting with tears as I was forced to meet her furious face. "People only look out for their own interests; therefore, make sure to get your uses from them if they want something from you as well. Do you understand me?"

"Mama, you're hurting my hand," I sniffled out in response. She blinked a few times and for a moment I thought she may scream at me – or, worse yet, **strike** me – for not giving her the answer she had been looking for. Instead she released my hand and knelt a little closer, her other hand smoothing out some of my hair.

"Mama's sorry, sweetie," She cooed delicately. Her gaze softened but I could still see the scorn hidden beneath the false coating of affection. "I just wanted to make sure you knew how to take care of yourself someday. I don't want my little angel being taken advantage of, after all." She then opened her purse and handed me a quarter. "Why don't you go over to that machine and get yourself a gumball while I pay for the groceries? Consider it a treat for being so helpful."

"Thank you Mama," I said, my little fist squeezing around the small coin. I started to head off then turned around and looked back at her nervously. "And, Mama, I think I understand what you were telling me. You want me to always make sure I get something when I do something for someone else, right?"

For a moment my heart stopped in joy at the bright, proud smile that came to my mother's lips. She hadn't looked at me like that in so very, very long and it just felt like a miracle to be gifted with it. "That's right, darling. Oh, you are so smart and you make Mama so very proud, baby girl," She said and her voice was thick with pride and other emotions I can't even recall now.

Something inside of me knew what my mother was telling me was wrong but I just didn't care anymore. I didn't care if it was wrong or right as long as she'd keep looking at me in that way and speaking to me in that way. All I ever wanted was my mother to love me, to be proud of me, and I thought maybe humoring her could finally give me that. I could practically taste my mother's intentions at that time; despite the bitter taste of it I told myself it was her love for me. "I love you, Mama," I said while fighting off tears again.

"I know you do," She answered simply before turning her attention to the cashier. It was a hollow sort of victory for me but I decided to take it. After all, my mother had to care about me if she wasted the time giving me those very rare looks, right? Oh, and a note I thought I should include, is that it was on our way home that we met Blair. We took her home that night and she's been with me ever since like the older sister I never had but sort of wish I had been given.

It was about a week later that my mother was struck down by her illness; I didn't mention to my father that a bottle of cleaning detergent had mysteriously gone from full to half gone.

Blair took over helping me with the household chores and such. She couldn't cook to save her life but I had caught on from watching my parents. In exchange for me taking care of the meals, tidying up the kitchen after meals, tending to my mother's needs when they came up and keeping my own room clean Blair would handle the grocery shopping, the laundry and cleaning the rest of the house. The house ran pretty smoothly like that up until the day my mother… Ended it all.

It had been a muggy Saturday afternoon. I was making lunch for us all while my mother, whom had grown lonely in the isolation of her room, was relaxing on the couch under a blanket with a cup of tea. Blair was dusting the entertainment center and humming some tune to herself. About a week before that, Blair had suggested me and my friends make a band to earn some extra money. It was an extremely appealing idea since my father only made so much money and we were falling behind on the mortgage. "Mother," I said as I brought her a bowl of clam chowder – her favorite type of soup -, "I wanted to discuss something with you."

"What is it sweetheart?" She asked patiently as she took the bowl. I waited until she had managed down her first spoonful of her meal before I continued on.

"I was talking with my friends and… Well, we need another source of income, so we were thinking of starting up a band to make some money," She paused in bringing another spoonful to her mouth and looked at me as if I'd just slapped her. I figured I should try to explain more to warm her up to the idea. "It would just be me, Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Kid and Chrona with Blair as our manager. We'd just be doing things like kid's parties and little benefits and stuff. I just want to take some of the stress out of the house so maybe you can start to feel a little better."

"How dare you want to pursue what I gave you up to have you? What an ungrateful little brat you are!" My mother screamed suddenly, flinging the bowl of soup. It landed right on my dress and made a huge mess on the carpet. Something in me finally snapped and we started a screaming match at one another so terrible Blair was on the verge of tears from fear we'd start getting physical with one another. I don't remember much of the insults we dished out at one another anymore; I just remember storming to the door. "Get back here young lady!"

"No! You always say how much you regret having me and you know what? I wish you hadn't had me either! You can die and burn in Hell for all I care!" I bellowed before slamming the door and running away. For a few hours I just wandered the city, ignoring my cell phone buzzing in my pocket as my father and Blair tried to call me, trying to clear my head. When I felt calm enough to head home I started out and ran into Blair halfway there. She'd been out looking for me ever since I ran off and nearly wept with joy upon seeing I was okay.

When we got home there was an ambulance in the yard and my father was crying in the yard; I knew immediately what had happened. I didn't run to my father for comfort because, to be honest, I didn't want it from him. His hands were just as stained in my mother's blood as my own were. Instead I latched on to Blair while we sobbed hard over the loss of my mother.

At her funeral, I vowed to live by the principles she tried so hard to drill into my head.

…

Soul stared at Maka wordlessly after she finished her story. She looked so broken, so shaken, and she let out a nervous little laugh. It was a bitter sound. "So that's pretty much everything there is to know about me and my psychosis," She said as if it was all just a joke. She rested her head on her knees and looked over at him. "What do you think?"

"I think you're taking way too much guilt on your shoulders," He said gently. She blinked a bit, eyes sparking with surprise. "Nothing you did or could have done would have changed your mother's mind. She was just angry at your father for sleeping around, and probably mad at herself for not leaving his ass, and wanted to get back at him. She wanted him to suffer so she turned you into a man-hating little beast and then took her own life so your father would have to handle you alone. She was being a coward and you can't be blamed for that."

"How can you analyze situations like that and just say that I wasn't in the wrong at all?" She asked softly, her eyes shimmering with curiosity and admiration. Soul grinned at her a bit as he leaned back against her door a little bit more.

"Well, it's not that hard. I've always heard from the television and stuff that kids always find a way to blame issues at home on themselves. I may not have been put through that as a kid," He explained casually, "but I did come to recognize that with a lot of the kids I got stuck dealing with. Their parents fought and they'd do these mental gymnastics so that they'd be the ones at fault for it. You need to recognize that this wasn't your fault; you responded to things the way any normal kid in your position would have responded. You can't be held accountable for that, Maka, because you were only twelve years old. You were just starting to develop into the young woman you are today."

She smiled weakly at this but Soul saw that she was starting to catch on to what he was saying. He vaguely remembered he'd told her something like this once before, but he was pretty sure that Maka was just too damn stubborn to really get something she didn't believe the first time. "Since when have you been so smart?" She laughed lightly. He raised a small brow and grinned lightly at her.

"What are you talking about? I've always been a genius!" He chuckled lightly and then looked at the wall opposite them. "So… Have you, I don't know, decided to stick to your mother's views or are you going to develop a few of your own?" He asked nervously. Her story implied she didn't agree with the morals she practiced but he didn't know if that meant she'd drop them.

"Well, a little birdie keeps telling me I should experience life for myself," She sighed lightly. She looked at him with a lazy – or maybe it was tired? – grin on her lips. "I think I'm going to make my own decisions based on my own experiences from now on. I mean, you aren't a total scumbag and you're a guy. I mean, as far as **I **know you're a guy; you could actually be a tranny, which would **certainly** explain why I can tolerate you a lot better than most men." She teased lightly.

He scoffed and flicked his hand down at the wrist. "Girlfriend, please! I am one hundred percent pure man!" He said with a faked lisp. They fell silent for a moment before they both burst out into peals of laughter at it. "So what exactly is the deal with Kid? Because with the way he glares at me sometimes makes me think he's your boyfriend or something."

"He's like a protective older brother, really," She said simply. She then looked at the ceiling. "I think he may have liked me at some point but I… I didn't want to ruin the relationship we have. At the time Kid was the only guy I could trust and I feared if we dated, and it didn't work out, that I'd end up becoming bitter toward him. I had already lost my mother and I didn't want to put Kid, and possibly my other friends, on the list of people taken from me for one reason or another. So I dodged his confession when I thought it was going to happen and he never tried anything like that again."

"Huh," He mumbled lightly, looking to the ceiling again as well. It was then he decided to try directing the conversation back to the more depressing element. "Will you… Will you come with me to my grandmother's funeral?"

"Of course," She answered without missing a beat. She even reached out the few inches and took his hand in hers. They just stayed like that, staring at the blank canvas that was the ceiling wordlessly, until the maids came pounding to inform them that dinner was prepared.

…

Tsubaki and Black*Star followed Kid, Patty and Liz to a small gun shop located on the rougher side of town that day. _'They must be aiming to get something without a serial number so that it'd be harder to trace if they abandoned it,'_ She thought worriedly. Black*Star looked unusually cold and harsh at the moment, and it filled the petite woman with concern. _'I just hope they're willing to listen to reason.'_ She took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. "Okay, Black*Star, we're going to have to confront them before they head in." She said.

"Hey, you self-righteous prick! Turn around and face a God!" Black*Star suddenly boomed, standing in the middle of the street. Tsubaki's eyes widened as she looked to the spot he once occupied to find it (obviously) vacant. Kid and the two sisters turned to face him, both looking rather bemused at his presence.

"Oh, it's just you," Kid said flatly with a scowl. Black*Star's eye twitched a bit.

"Just me? I AM THE GREAT BLACK*STAR! I AM MORE AWESOME THAN THE GODS!" The blue-haired male declared angrily.

Kid scoffed and shrugged. "You really aren't. All you are is a loud-mouthed little brat trying to cover up for the fact he has no family left," He snorted out in an icy tone of voice. Black*Star's eyes widened before he launched himself at the other male with a loud roar.

"Black*Star, stop!" Tsubaki called out frantically, running out of the alley they'd been hiding within. Her cry fell on deaf ears as Black*Star aimed for Kid's face. His hand was caught and the two exchanged a frantic flurry of blows directed at one another.

"Well this is quite the set back," Liz sighed, smacking her forehead. Patty, standing beside her, was pointing and laughing. Tsubaki was muttering worriedly, shifting from side to side with her arms extended to try and stop the pair. Kid caught Black*Star in the gut with a well-aimed kick while Black*Star managed a square jab at the other's jaw.

Both teetered a few steps back, hands falling to the sight of where their new bruises would be blooming, before charging forward again. "We need to stop them!" Tsubaki wailed, looking to the other two women worriedly.

"Why?" Liz snorted, flipping a few locks of hair over her shoulder. "This is how men bond, Tsubaki. Give them a few minutes to knock each other senseless and then, when they calm back down, they'll be like blood brothers. Guys in the same gang used to do that all the time if they didn't see exactly eye to eye on something." Although Tsubaki was a little grateful for the street knowledge, she didn't really think it could be applied to this situation. After all, Kid and Black*Star weren't alleyway hoodlums; they were born and bred aristocrats.

A crowd started to develop, cheering and egging the two boys on. Tsubaki was panicking even more while the Thompson sisters saw their chance to turn a profit by accepting bets on who would be victorious. "Tsubaki~! What's going on over here?" A familiar voice called.

Tsubaki had never been more ecstatic to see Blair in all her life.

"Oh, Blair, it's terrible! Kid and Black*Star just started out with insults and then somehow it ended up at fisticuffs!" She cried out, hugging the other woman tightly with bright tears in her eyes. Blair blinked then gently stroked the other's head lightly. She had a growing suspicion that the other really did know how it escalated but didn't feel like bothering her; she knew what it was like to be a flustered young woman.

Blair perked up when they heard the sudden wail of sirens. "Shit! Someone called the cops? Scatter!" Liz cried out loudly, stuffing the bills she had collected into her pockets. Patty was doing the same, lashing out with swears and threats at anyone that tried to get a refund. Just as abruptly as they'd all appeared they disappeared, making Blair and Tsubaki both rather dizzy. The boys were still brawling, the Thompson sister's about to make their great escape, when a police car pulled up and cut off their route to the alleyway. "Damnit!" The older woman snarled lowly as the officers exited the vehicle.

"What's going on here? A fight club?" The older of the two officers growled out in a scraggly voice. There was a fat cigar hanging from the corner of his lips and a night stick in his hands. When neither male responded, he nodded his head backward at his partner. The two approached and yanked the pair apart, ignoring the protests as they were cuffed and shoved in the back of the patrol car.

"You can't do this to me! These handcuffs are not symmetrical!"

"I am the **GREAT BLACK*STAR**! You cannot lock up a **GOD**!"

The elder male turned his gaze to Liz; or, rather, the bills poking out of she and Patty's pocket. "And I assume you were also doing some illegal gambling?" He asked flatly. Liz and Patty both looked away with their lips shut defiantly. "Either way, you ladies are going to come with us either peacefully or kicking and screaming; it's your choice."

"We didn't want to do it, sir! She made us!" Liz cried suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at the stunned and frightened Tsubaki. "She may look sweet and faultless but she's really a doe-eyed criminal master mind!"

"What? I was trying to stop this whole thing!" Tsubaki protested but it was too late; she was put in cuffs and tossed in on top of Black*Star. She was blushing and crying out frantic pleas in Japanese in a matter of seconds. She wasn't the last one to be locked away, however; she was shortly followed by both her accusers as well.

The officer looked over at Blair. "Didn't I see you at the tea shop around the corner a few minutes ago with Wesley Evans?" He asked, tapping some of the ash off the end of his cigar. Blair blushed and rubbed the back of her head lightly.

"That was definitely Blair nyah~!" She sang lightly. Although she hadn't told anyone yet, she and Wes were sort of an item. He liked her cheerfully nature and she liked his gentleman-like personality; every other guy she had dated was just a scumbag in it for the hot nookie.

"I assume you were passing by and saw these hoodlums acting up. You're free to go, ma'am," He tipped his hat at her.

"Um, actually, sir, they're under my management. They're part of a popular music group that I book gigs for and can vouch this is the first time they've ever done anything bad like this," She said sweetly. She looked up at him while batting her eyelashes and clasping her hands together. "Can you please let them go with a warning? Just for Bu-tan?"

"If you'd like you can head to the lock-up and post their bail," He said bluntly before getting his car. She watched them peal out before opening her wallet and making a small face.

"I should probably let Wes know; his parents would probably post the bail since they have the money and need four of them for Soul's band," She sighed before heading off, her head slumped in defeat. She turns her back for just a few hours and suddenly these kids were letting their emotions get the better of them!

Blair cursed their terrible hormones the whole walk to the Evans estate.

End

Notes for ya'll:

This chapter is long. Like, a lot longer than I originally planned. I hope you all don't mind.

Were you expecting a kiss scene between Soul and Maka this chapter? Tee-hee; you're all so cute when you're disappointed. :3

Next Chapter:

Maka decides it is time to set things right between herself and her mother's ghost; fulfilling her mother's last request seems to be the best route to take. Soul decides to sit down and have a serious talk with Maka's dad; after all, he figures he should get the guys permission to date his daughter like a cool guy would do. We, the audience, get to learn who is truly superior in the eyes of Spirit; Kid or Soul? Place your bets now~!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, in this chapter, lyrics that are in bold and italics are sung by Kami solo. Just in regular italics will be Maka solo. Bold, italics and underlined are them together.

Chapter Fourteen

Maka looked at her calendar calmly and then looked back at the clock by her bed. Four days ago she had attended the funeral of Josephina Evans with Soul and held his hand the whole time, ignoring the harsh glares sent her way my Masumi. At one point, while washing her hands in the ladies room at the small restaurant the family went to so they could spend some time together and console one another, Masumi walked in and glared at her through the window. "You do realize you don't belong here, correct?" She asked snidely.

"Soul asked me to come here and support him; I'm not going to ignore the request of a trusted friend," She said simply, just briefly glancing up to meet the other woman's gaze through the mirror. Red spheres widened at her words before narrowing even more. "But yes, I do realize I don't belong as a guest at one of these fancy-dancy little get-togethers your family is so fond of throwing and attending. To you, I should be doing nothing more than walking around with a tray offering refills and to take away soiled eating utensils, right?"

Masumi giggled politely, a little smirk worming its way to her lips. "Well aren't you just a smart little girl! You really do know your place in society!"

"No, but I do know the place you feel fits for me," She answered back flatly. She then turned and glared at her. "I also know that I do deserve to pursue whatever it is I want to do with my life. Whether I decide I'd like to be a singer, or a writer, or even be something as simple as a wife and mother those are my calls. My social standing doesn't restrict what I can do with myself and my life. To be honest, I pity you."

"Pity me? And why, pray tell, do you pity me of all people?" Masumi barked out haughtily. Her eyes were glinting with poorly contained hatred and there was a small twitch to her lips that indicated weakness.

"Because you are so pig-headed and foolish that you'd rather try to force everyone around you to conform to the cookie-cutter shapes you've created for society," Maka said while picking up some paper towel and drying off her hands. She tossed it away before grabbing another. "That's exactly why you hate Soul; he is capable of doing the one thing you are too scared to be capable of."

"Wha- How dare you accuse me of being afraid?" She gasped, stepping back and clenching her fists.

Maka rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"And why is that what upsets you rather than me implying you hate one of your own children? You're just helping to prove my case in this argument even more and, really, it's rather pathetic," She answered flatly. She then stepped closer, her hand on the door, and glared right down at the older woman. "People fear and hate what they don't understand, hence your feelings toward Soul. And you know what? You could never see things through his world even if you wanted to; you're far too **stupid** to understand anything about your own son."

Maka had returned to her seat after that and left a fuming Masumi behind her. She hadn't told Soul what went down between herself and his mother because she didn't see a point. Although Soul acted all aloof and indifferent, she knew that hearing what was said would hurt him at least a little bit. No one wanted to think their parents didn't love them for who they were and she just couldn't bring it on to herself to be the one to hurt him like that.

It was also that conversation that had sparked this decision within Maka.

She looked back at her clock and saw that it was now six in the morning, rather than two minutes till like last time she'd looked. She picked up the small bag she had prepared the night before and slipped it over her shoulders. Inside was her bus pass, wallet, a few CDs in a CD holder, a spare change of clothes, her poetry journal and a small picture from when she was three years old of her parents and herself. It was one of the only happy family portraits she'd been able to track down over the years and it meant a lot to her. With a final look at her room, assuring that everything else was in perfect and tidy order, and headed out with a soft click of her door.

She crept down the hall to Soul's room and opened the door. She saw his figure all askew on his bed, small snorts coming from his blanket covered body, and released a few little giggles. She then walked over and shook his shoulder lightly. "Hey, Soul, wake up real fast. I need to ask a favor," She mumbled lightly while sitting down on a portion of the bed he wasn't occupying. He groaned loudly and she watched as his head poked out from the blankets slightly.

"What is it? And why couldn't it wait until later?" He grumbled, rubbing one eye, and sending a sidelong look over at the clock by his bed. He flopped back down on the bed. "Just give me three more hours."

"No, hold on! I just wanted to ask if you had a portable stereo or something I could borrow," She said hurriedly, trying to catch him before he was dead to the world.

His arm was thrust out and indicated the desk on the opposite end of his room. "Check the largest bottom drawer; I think I still have an old walkman in there. Some loose batteries should be scattered around in there too, so take as many as you'll need," He said tiredly before his hand returned beneath its fabric cocoon.

"Thanks," She said sweetly. She was answered by another sleepy snort. She got up headed over, and found what she was looking for. She was even more delighted to find an unopened pack of batteries as well as a pair of ear buds plugged into the walkman. She shrugged off her bag, stuffed the new items into it, and then placed it back on. She smiled lightly at Soul's sleeping form from the doorway. "Bye." She mumbled, blowing him a kiss, and then heading out of the Evans manor.

She walked to the bus station downtown and then browsed the little shops, even investing in a few new books, around it until her bus arrived. It was going to be a good four hour ride to where she was heading but she was looking forward to it. This early in the morning she would basically be the only person on the train; it was for this reason she had decided to head out at this time.

She didn't want anyone she knew to be awake to question her in her motives.

"Maka, where are we going?" Kami's ghost asked Maka as she settled down into a seat in the far back of the bus. The younger woman replied by pulling out her journal, yanking out a blank sheet and scribbling something down on it. Although there were only two other passengers, and both had chosen the front half as their locations, Maka wasn't in the mood to be accused of being crazy.

"On a little trip," She scribbled down on the sheet of paper. Kami read it out loud and then looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What kind of a trip, exactly? You aren't running away, are you?" She asked suspiciously. Maka shrugged and jotted down another little note.

"I guess we'll see when we get there, huh?" She grinned lightly at her mother while the other woman scowled. It looked more like her mother was pouting than anything else, really.

"Oh, Maka, you are being so cruel to me! Why can't you just give Mama a straight forward answer?" She cried out indignantly while Maka just laughed. She started putting her things away while her laughter faded to simple giggles.

The bus driver pretended to not notice that cute little girl all alone in the back laughing at apparently nothing.

…

Soul had no idea what had possessed him to walk his happy ass down to Spirit Albarn's home this afternoon before practice but now, as he stood poised to knock, he was filled with concern that this may have been a terrible idea. He had figured that, since he clearly felt something more than just friendship with Maka Albarn, he should let her father know he wanted to pursue something deeper with the young lady. Despite the fact Maka had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with her father, he assumed that maybe now that she seemed to be turning her attitude around she may change her mind on the decision sometime soon.

Besides, cool guys always made sure that their girl's dad's liked them at least a little, right?

Soul finally brought his fist down to lightly wrap on the door. He was met with a haggard Spirit Albarn. The older man's hair was greasy, his eyes had heavy black bags under them, and he looked pale. The young albino briefly wondered if the other male had been so depressed he neglected eating after his daughter's biting words. "What do you want, Evans?" He asked in a bland tone of voice.

"I came to talk to you about Maka," He said and suddenly the other brightened considerably. He was yanked inside and the other male was in his face, eyes alive with joy and hope. Soul took a nervous step back. "Uh… You're kind of invading my personal space here, dude."

"What did Maka say? Did she say she wanted to come home?" He asked eagerly. Since he had been ignored, Soul reached out and pushed the other male back by his shoulders a little bit.

"No, she didn't say anything," Spirit visibly deflated at these words, "but I wanted to talk to you about her. Or, rather, I wanted to address a few things about her with you."

"And are these good or bad things?" Spirit asked, suddenly serious. Soul blinked, feeling a little dizzy from how fast this man was changing moods on him. How could this guy be some sort of notorious womanizer, let alone have the charms to get **one woman**? And, more importantly at the point, **how** had Maka lasted with this behavior for as long as she had? **Two** incidents with this guy and Soul was already feeling his patience dissolving **fast**. And Soul was friends with **Black*Star**!

"That depends on your stance, really," Soul said finally. Spirit let out a small, dark chuckle and walked over to the kitchen table. He sat down and looked at the young man from there. Slowly, the white haired boy headed over and took a seat across from the other.

"Maka is the only family I have left at this point in my life, and she's also my only child," He started to explain, his tone all business and seriousness. It almost seemed unnatural for such an expression to be worn by this man but Soul kept his comments to himself. "She may not… Be very forgiving toward me but she'll always be my little girl. It doesn't matter what mistakes or crimes she commits; if she needs me I will be here for her. So, before you tell me this news you came to deliver, please understand I am ready to go to the ends of the world for this girl."

"Maka's been acting different lately," Soul said after Spirit's speech. He didn't really know why the other male had assumed it was something **bad** he had to tell him but decided to ignore it. "She's let go off all the guilt and resentment she's built up over the years toward herself and you. She's been a lot happier and more pleasant to be around. The first thing I wanted to discuss with you was that, as long as you watch your steps, she may come back in hopes of rebuilding the relationship you two used to have. Now, I am not absolutely certain about this because she has specifically said anything about you since you came by but I think it's a certainly a high possibility."

Spirit smiled lightly and nodded. Soul was surprised to see relief shining in the other's bright sapphire orbs. "And the other matter?"

"I wanted to let you know that I am planning to ask Maka out," Suddenly, that light in Spirit's eyes disappeared. It was a lot like someone had flicked off a switch in the other man's head. "Since she doesn't really care what you think right now I didn't see a point in asking your **permission**, but I did feel you had **some** right to know what I'm planning to do. After all, she could laugh in my face and tell me she'd never date a spoiled rich boy like me even if I paid her to. Or, there is the chance she'll say yes to me; it could go either way at this point, really."

"You… You are right that I may not have the right to give you permission to date my little Maka," Spirit said after taking another deep breath. He suddenly slammed his fist down on the table, stood, and pointed his other finger at Soul accusingly. His eyes were alive again but with passionate dedication this time around. "But if you ever try to lay a finger on my little Maka when she says no than I will rain down the vengeance of a proud Papa upon you!" He declared bravely.

And Soul, being the little shit that he was, saw this as a challenge.

"And what if she says yes, or **asks** me to do naughty things to her?" Soul asked, tipping back in his chair. He was grinning almost wickedly at how the other visibly paled and his hand fell limp back at his side. "What if you little Maka isn't as sweet and delicate as you seem so desperate to believe? And it would be **rude** of me, as a polite young gentleman, to turn a young woman away if she comes to me begging to strip her down and make rough, passionate lo-"

"**I'LL KILL YOU**!" Spirit screamed, trying to launch himself across the table at Soul. The younger male easily jumped free from his chair and made a break for the door, laughing the whole way. He didn't get far, though, before he ran head first into a roadblock.

Or, to be more precise, he ran head first into Kid, who was also running.

The two boys tumbled over and Soul, not wanting to land in an awkward position, twisted onto his side and landed on his back instead. He let out a pained grunt when his head hit the hard pavement while Kid muttered a small swear when he landed rather gracelessly on his bum. "What the hell are you doing here, Evans?" He snarled out lowly, glaring at the other.

Soul was wincing and rubbing his head as he sat and faced the other male. "I was talking with Maka's old man. What are you doing here?"

"Maka's gone missing and we can't find her anywhere," Kid answered, a small stream of concern and fear creeping into his voice. Soul's eyes widened as he stared, slack jawed, at the other male. "I came here to see if she'd come home. Do you remember the last time you saw her?"

"She woke me up at like six o'clock this morning, asking if I had an old walkman she could borrow," Soul said with a small scowl. He hadn't really understood the request and hadn't thought much on it until now. "But after I told her where to find it I went back to sleep since I was dead tired. She didn't mention why and I didn't think to ask her."

"Great," Kid growled out before perking up. His cell phone suddenly started buzzing and he picked it up. "Hello? Liz, what is it? An emergency, you say? Does it have to do with Maka?" There was a pause before he stood and took off running, snapping out orders into the phone.

"Wait for me, you- Gah! That guy is such a pain in the ass!" Soul cursed. Just as he had gone to pursue Kid the other male **just has** to jump into a pure black car that takes off speeding in a screech of tires and rubber! Soul turned around to see a confused Spirit standing in the doorway of the house. "Hey! Can you think of any places Maka may go to if she's really distraught or something?" He asked, darting over to him.

Spirit closed his eyes for a moment, brow furrowed in concentration, before nodding. "I can think of one place she may go to. Come inside and I'll write down how to get there for you," He said, letting the other male walk in before closing the door behind him.

…

Maka took a deep breath as she relaxed against the warm sand of the beach. This had been where her family would go to for family vacations when she was a child and always had the greatest memories attached to it. She picked up the walkman, skipped around on the tracks until she came to the instrumental piece she was looking for, and let out a happy little sigh. "So this was where you wanted to go," Kami commented beside her. They were the only two present since the swimming season had yet to start up; it was too cold for the beach but also too warm to be bundled up.

"Yeah. I… I wanted to come here so that we could have one last conversation," Maka said gently. She doodled a little kitty face in the sand then swept it away with her hand. Kami leaned forward and raised an eyebrow at her curiously. Finally bright emerald spheres locked with muted jade ones. "I want you to move on and enjoy your afterlife Mama."

"Maka," Kami said softly. She then turned on her heels and walked closer to the tide lightly lapping at the sandy shore. "Do you remember that musical we used to listen to over and over because you loved the music? And no, I don't mean _Chicago_." She giggled lightly, looking back at her daughter with a smile. Maka blinked then smiled and nodded as well.

"Yeah, I remember. It was _Wicked_; you played the role of Glenda the Good Witch in that musical when you were younger," She stated gently. Her mother nodded peacefully.

"And you liked Elphaba more because of how tragic her story was. We could always agree on one thing though; our favorite song," She mused happily. Maka skipped through the CD she currently had put on and cranked the volume up as loud as it would go. Her mother's eyes came alive as the background sounds of the song she was mentioning blared out.

"Let's sing it together one last time," Maka said happily as she stood up and moved so that she was beside her mother. The other woman took a deep breath as she prepared for her first lines (though they both knew she didn't really need to.

_**I've heard it said  
>That people come into our lives for a reason<br>Bringing something we must learn.  
>And we are led<br>To those who help us most to grow  
>If we let them<br>And we help them in return.  
>Well, I don't know if I believe that's true<br>But I know I'm who I am today  
>Because I knew you.<strong>_

It was such a rush for Kami to be singing again. Sure, she and Maka had sung together a few weeks ago but this was so very different. This brought back so many memories and her daughter's cherubic face smiling up at her without a care in the world. It reminded her of the pureness of her own child and made her wish thing had been a little different for her beautiful, incredible, strong and precious baby girl.

_**Like a comet pulled from orbit  
>As it passes a sun.<br>Like a stream that meets a boulder  
>Halfway through the wood.<br>Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
>But because I knew you<br>I have been changed for good.**_

Maka was having her own little trip down memory lane with this song as well. She had always loved it when her mother would sing with her simply because it was such a rare occurrence. And as she listened, coming to the painful realization this would be the last time they would perform as a duo, she felt her heart constrict a little bit. Who would be a better singing partner than her mother?

_It well may be  
>That we will never meet again<br>In this lifetime  
>So let me say before we part<br>So much of me  
>Is made from what I learned from you.<br>You'll be with me  
>Like a handprint on my heart<br>And now whatever way our stories end  
>I know you have re-written mine<br>By being my friend._

_Like a ship blown from its mooring  
>By a wind off the sea.<br>Like a seed dropped by a skybird  
>In a distant wood.<br>Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
>But because I knew you.<em>

_**Because I knew you.**_

_**I have been changed for good. **_

_And just to clear the air  
>I ask forgiveness<br>For the things I've done you blame me for._

_**But then, I guess we know  
>There's blame to share.<strong>_

_**And none of it seems to matter anymore.**_

_**Like a comet pulled from orbit  
>As it passes a sun.<br>Like a stream that meets a boulder  
>Halfway through the wood.<strong>_

_Like a ship blown from its mooring  
>By a wind off the sea.<br>Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood._

_**Who can say if I've been  
>Changed for the better?<br>I do believe I have been  
>Changed for the better.<strong>_

_**And because I knew you. **_

_Because I knew you._

_**Because I knew you  
>I have been changed for good.<strong>_

Maka felt tears stinging at her eyes as she noticed her mother becoming even dimmer in the light cast by the sun. She had thought that by coming here her mother would finally be able to reach eternal and she had been right; it was a double-edged blade. She was glad to know her mother was finally able to let go of the feelings that had been holding her back but it also heart to realize that this really was good-bye. "I love you," She whispered through little sniffles.

"I love you too, Maka," She said with a smile, reaching out and taking Maka's hand. The younger woman wasn't sure if it was a trick of her mind or an actual fact but she swore that for that one moment, that brief gesture, she actually felt her mother's warm hand in her own. And then, like a released breath, her mother's presence was completely gone.

She swallowed hard past a lump developing in her throat and let out a long drawn out sigh. "What the hell were you thinking?" A voice suddenly screamed, jarring her from her thoughts and forcing her to twirl around in surprise. Standing up by the railing near the stairs that led down to the actual beach was Soul, an annoyed scowl on his lips and his shoulders heaving frantically with his breathing.

"Soul? How did **you** know that I came **here**?" She blurted out in surprise. He darted to the stairs, took them two at a time, and didn't stop until he reached her. He skidded to abruptly that a little bit of sand splattered in between her sandal-clad shoes.

"I asked your old man," He said after taking a deep breath. He watched her through narrowed eyes. "He was surprisingly forth-coming of that information; probably because Kid had already run off at that point and he knew he could never get you to come back."

"Come back? Of course I was going to be coming back! I came here to say goodbye to my mother and let go of the past!" She stated with surprise. He blinked a few times, a stupefied expression suddenly playing across his features. "If you don't believe me I have a bus ticket for seven o'clock tonight in my bag. I was going to take the bus back into town and then hitch a cab back to the manor since it isn't safe to walk around alone at night."

"You aren't taking a cab since we'll be going home together now," He said flatly, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He scrolled through his contacts and sent a quick text. "There. I asked Wes if he can have one of the family vehicles pick us up when we get back in town."

"You are so damn spoiled," Maka laughed lightly as she sat back down. He sat next to her and stuck out his tongue.

"I'm rubber, you're glue, yadda yadda," He remarked in a childish tone. It earned him a small giggle from the other teenager. He then looked out at the sea and took in a deep breath. The salty air, despite being somewhat bitter, was surprisingly soothing to the senses. "So, I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend."

She glanced at him in slight surprise then smiled lightly and looked out at the glittering ocean. "I… I would very much like that," She said gently. Soul's hand slithered across the sand and gently laced together with her fingers.

"Cool," He said simply and then just let the silence wrap them up in a peaceful silence.

End

(1) For Good from the musical _Wicked_. This musical, like _Chicago_, is one I haven't seen but have heard pretty much the entire soundtrack to. I also felt this song can be pretty well adapted to defining Maka and Kami's relationship, as I portrayed it in this story.

Alakauthoress ramble!:

Maka's better at making enemies than friends, isn't she?

Another lengthy chapter… I actually intended to include a small piece from the next chapter in this one but didn't want to overload this chapter. Plus I liked the ending for this scene more as a chapter concluder too; hope you all agree~!

Poll is still uploaded; need it answered so I can start the planning Not Quite Twilight. Please get to it as soon as you can, ladies and gents~! :D

Oh, and don't forget my Sunday Q&A sessions! I'll be doing those from now until about August when I start my new semester of college~!

Next Chapter:

Maka and Soul decide to do something nice for Tsubaki and Black*Star, since they're good friends like that. The most unholy of all tag-teams is developed; Medusa Gorgon and Masumi Evans start to plan ways to take down our little pigtailed protagonist! I take the time to wrap-up the side drama with Stein and Marie, just since I kinda neglected to focus on any of that.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Also, prepare for singin' Soul! His lyrics will be in italics and bold; Maka's will be in just italics like usual.

Chapter Fifteen

Chrona was shaking and shivering as he pressed his body as close to the wall as possible, almost as if he wanted to simply morph together with it. He had seen his mother welcome Masumi Evans into their home before telling him to go sit in his room and wait to be called for. He knew that if his mother found him here there would be Hell to pay but he had to disobey her this time. Something in him told him he had to hear what the women had to say even if he wasn't supposed to.

"Thank you for permitting me into your lovely home, Lady Gorgon," Masumi Evans said politely as she settled into a seat on the couch in the sitting room. Medusa poured some tea into cups and brought over a silver platter with the cups, honey, and sugar. Masumi dropped a sugar cube and a dollop of honey into her cup, stirring it patiently. "I would have been here sooner but we've been busy at the house. I am so sorry that you were attacked by that girl at our party a few weeks ago. I never really approved of her being in our home but our little Soul has always been a difficult child. He refused to play with any other group because that deplorable Maka Albarn has perfect pitch and a strange personality that attracts his attention."

"Ah, yes; Maka certainly is an interesting young lady. My Chrona was rather enthralled with her when they were playing together. However, after my son was provoked into attacking another member of the group, they tossed him aside for defending himself," Medusa said coldly, sipping her tea warm and bitter. She liked it better when it left the sour after taste on her tongue, viewing it as a representation of her feeling for the current conversation.

"So your son Chrona was the previous pianist? They never mentioned that to me before," Masumi said with a small gasp. In all honesty, she knew all along since Wes made that a clear point. However, if she could find a way to manipulate Medusa into doing her dirty work, she would lie to take Maka Albarn down. "They told me their previous pianist was a novice with no personality. They said he wasn't up to par and needed to be replaced immediately."

"What? How dare they! My Chrona has more talented than all those little half-assed hacks put together!" Medusa snapped angrily while slamming her fist down on the table. Chrona flinched in the hallway while Masumi took a sip of her tea calmly. She regarded the blonde woman over her cup. "That Maka… She ruined my poor Chrona, scarred him for life with what she put him through, and yet has the gall at say such things of him?"

'_No, Mother; I deserved to be thrown out. I was the one who was emotionally unstable because of what you did to me,'_ Chrona thought shakily, fiddling with his fingers. After talking to Maka and being accepted by the group he had learned that his mother didn't treat him with the love of a real parent. He never did anything about and request they not either, though, simply because it was the only kind of love he'd ever known from his mother.

He just didn't understand why his mother was being this way about it.

"I have a recommendation for you; a deal, if you will," Masumi said, clearing her throat and setting her tea down. Medusa looked at her, golden orbs glinting in curiosity. "Why don't we give young Miss Maka a slice of humble pie? I can assure you if we were to do something rather painful to her she would do a complete turn around and become a much better member of society."

"What, exactly, do you have in mind?" Medusa asked, a smirk slowly turning up on her lips. Masumi grinned back, glad to see the interest in the other woman.

"Well, I know you have a few… connections that some may view as risky," She said evenly. Medusa nodded while taking another sip from her cup. "I hope you don't find it rude of me to be mentioning this, but I feel we are in a safe environment to bring these sorts of things up."

"We most certainly are and feel free to mention it. I personally believe that having connections with people with the ability to defend your assets using any means necessary," She hummed proudly. She then gestured back to the other woman politely with one hand. "Feel free to proceed with what you were saying, Duchess Evans."

"Thank you," Masumi giggled happily. For a lower level musician, Medusa was surprisingly polite and easy to talk to. "Well, I know for a fact that Maka's only remaining family member is her father, correct? What do you think she would do if, let's just say, he were to befall an accident of some sort?"

"Oh, given her sensitive nature, I feel she'd absolutely tumble apart at the seams," Medusa giggled back airily. She held one hand out, as if to help her make a point. "After all, she went completely berserk when her mother died, and everyone knew that Kami Albarn was in failing health. Her passing was highly anticipated by the whole community in yet t still left her unbalanced and devastated. Her father, who is clearly in wonderful health for his age, well… Something bad happening to him would be significantly harder for her to handle."

"My sentiment exactly," Masumi all but purred. The two reached out, clinking their glasses in a silent cheer, and then taking another sip of their beverages.

Chrona, upon hearing the sudden silence, crept away to his room. He looked around frantically until he found his notebook paper and a pen. He snatched it up and started scratching away as quickly as he could, right down an explanation of everything he'd just heard. He took a deep breath afterwards, stood back up, and paced his room anxiously.

He knew he had to send this information to someone but who?

He couldn't send the information to Maka. She had made it relatively clear that she was done with him after what happened that night when he accidently stabbed her. He also knew that Kid would be a big no-no to go to. Kid, being Maka's little lap dog, would stand by her every decision and also apply it to his own life. There was Patty, who had always been relatively good at listening to him, but after he attacked her… Well, something told him she'd be less than eager to listen to him again. Liz would never really listen to him either; she and Patty were sisters, after all. Tsubaki was sweet, and would probably give him a chance, but he also knew she wouldn't bring it up to anyone else in the group or do anything about it herself. Although she was nice she had never really liked trying to press for actions against issues and would normally just go with whatever Maka or Kid said.

But then there was Soul Evans.

Chrona had seen how the other could get; he was confident and had a mouth on him but Chrona felt that perhaps he could trust him. He had seen the development between he and Maka, seen how he looked at her. There was a spark there, affection there, and even Chrona. Soul may listen to him despite his actions before. He folded up what he'd written, slipped it into an envelope, and left it on the desk. He would take it to Soul in the morning.

…

Maka smiled lightly as she hummed a bit. She was handling being Soul's girlfriend pretty well, much to everyone's surprise. In the last few days since they started dating they had gone on two dates. The first date they saw a movie then went to a nearby arcade; Maka kicked his ass several times at air hockey. And just yesterday they had cruised through the mall and simply enjoyed some window shopping (a concept that Maka had to actually teach Soul about). Currently they were getting ready for a little surprise for Tsubaki and Black*Star.

A surprise, much to Kid's horror, which Maka had come up with all by herself.

She remembered Tsubaki mentioning that she and Black*Star hadn't really gone on another date since the first initial one. This made Maka question if they were actually dating but the ebony haired woman made it clear that Black*Star had said numerous times that she was his girlfriend. Digressing from that, Maka had come up with a brilliant solution to help Tsubaki out; they would create a romantic setting in the Evans manor for the two. "You can sing, right, Soul?" She had asked curiously.

"Well, yeah. I mean, that day when I was singing _Chicago_ badly to you it was just a joke to make you feel better," He said calmly with a shrug. Kid made a confused and suspicious expression in the background but went unnoticed by the two.

"How would you feel singing this song with me?" She asked, pointing to a set of lyrics and letting him see. He skimmed through then grinned at her.

"What are you planning?" He asked suspiciously. She grinned back in a devious way that made Soul shudder with pride and excitement.

"I have something planned for Tsubaki and Black*Star. I do, however, need help pulling this off and need everyone's cooperation," She said, turning to the other three individuals in the room.

Patty squealed in delight from her perch sitting on the floor with a stack of colored construction paper (which, of course, she was folding into little baby giraffes). "We're going to meddle in someone's love life again~! Hopefully this time we don't get arrested~!" She laughed happily. Kid and Liz both flinched, clamping their hands over Patty's giggling mouth, while Soul and Maka stared with confused expression.

Both laughed nervously. "She's kidding, of course! So, what did you have in mind?" Liz asked quickly, her eye twitching just the slightest bit. Kid was glaring at Patty, who met his gaze for a moment before falling back into even louder giggles.

"Well," Maka mused while pulling out a large white paper with diagrams, figures and statistics on it, "it's really quite a basic procedure. Come here and I'll explain."

And that was how they ended up here, in the grand ballroom of the Evans mansion, setting everything up. The lights were dimmed and a lone table for two stood in the center of the room. It had a rich violet tablecloth made of silk, twin matching chairs with cushioned backs, and atop the table was a little candelabrum. There were two candles in it, both lit, and two sets of silverware. Kid had made sure the table was perfect symmetrical in its preparations for the two guests. Soul had made sure that the chefs knew what to make and bring in as soon as Black*Star and Tsubaki were present. Maka had made sure all the instruments and sound equipment was on kilter. Patty and Liz had made sure Tsubaki and Black*Star would be in perfect working order, both wearing extravagant clothes.

Liz and Patty came running in after a while, both grinning. In the far off distance the sounds of a yelling Black*Star could be heard. "Okay, let's get this started! Black*Star and Tsubaki should be here at the same time!" Liz cheered while hopping up on stage and rushing to her location. Kid casually got on, after one last check of everything, while Patty was giggling and snickering in her spot.

"What did you do to piss him off that bad?" Soul asked with a raised eyebrow from his piano. Sure, it didn't take much to incite Black*Star really but… Well, Soul was one curious little cat.

"Let's just say it was a motivator, okay?" The older blonde responded with a wicked glint. Soul decided not to press his luck in questioning her and dropped it.

The doors were then thrown open by Black*Star, clad in a nice and tidy looking suit. It was partnered with a black bow tie instead of a regular tie. He blinked a few times upon sight of the room. "What's going on in here?" He asked, tilting his head and pointing to the table. Everyone sweat-dropped at this; he really wasn't that stupid, was he?

"Um, hello Black*Star," A bashful voice asked behind him. He turned around and everyone froze upon sight of Tsubaki. Soul's eyes widened and he was worried his nose would start bleeding; that was certainly a nice dress. Kid's eye was twitching and his mouth had fallen wide open. Liz and Patty flashed one another a quick thumbs-up in congratulations. Maka gasped and lightly clapped her hands in excitement.

Tsubaki's hair was set loose and fell in long wavy tendrils around her, like a glossy onyx curtain. She had a small touch of make-up that accented the bright sapphire hue to her eyes. The dress was a sleeveless number in a pale silver tint that brought moonlight through a curtain to mind. It had matching gloves that went up to her elbows. The dress swept until a few inches above the ground with just a sliver of white heel peeping put beneath the trail of the fabric. The silky peach tinted flesh of her shoulders and her arms were revealed; as well as an ample amount of her perky cleavage. It was clear she was blushing by the way she shifted and there was a hint of pink on her cheeks that seemed too natural to be any form of powder enhancer. "W-What do you think?" She asked, reaching up with one hand to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her hair.

'_Don't mess this up, Black*Star!'_ The other five individuals were thinking simultaneously, crossing their fingers behind their backs. And, for once, Black*Star **actually** lived up to his self-proclaimed title of "great".

"Breath-taking," He said gently, smiling and offering her his hand. Tsubaki's eyes widened before softening into pure love. She let her hand fall in with his and she let him lead her to the table. Hell, he even held out her chair for her and pushed it back in!

Maka grinned and plucked up one of the microphones, settling next to Soul at the piano bench, while a maid approached the two with fluted glasses of a sparkling juice of some sort. After all, they couldn't drink **real** alcohol; none of them were old enough for that just yet. Maka held up her hand and, one it dropped back to her lap, the others started up with the background music.

_**I opened my eyes last night and saw you in the low light  
>Walking down by the bay, on the shore,<br>Staring up at the planes that aren't there anymore.**_

Maka smiled and nodded her head in beat with the song while watching Black*Star and Tsubaki from the corner of her eye. They were talking softly, one of their hands laced together atop the table. The other young lady giggled lightly at something Black*Star said and there was so much joy in her features. How could Maka have ever thought love was a bad thing? As long as it was nurtured and tended, cared for with the respect it deserved, love could be so delightfully exquisite.

It was a blow to her ego to realize that something **her parents** had failed at was something **Black*Star** was actually successful at.

_**I was feeling the night grow old and you were looking so cold.  
>Like an introvert, I drew my over shirt<br>Around my arms and began to shiver violently, before  
>You happened to look and see the tunnels all around me<br>Running into the dark underground  
>All the subways around create a great sound.<br>To my motion fatigue: farewell  
>With your ear to a seashell.<br>You can hear the waves in underwater caves  
>As if you actually were inside a saltwater room.<strong>_

Kid had to admit that he was rather impressed. After he and Black*Star's little scuffle he had a newfound respect for the other male (which had made Liz howl and yell "I told you so!" to Tsubaki). He hadn't, however, really expected the blue haired male to be such a… Well, romantic. He knew the other cared for Tsubaki but he never thought he could manage something like this. He was almost envious that Black*Star, being the loud-mouth he was, had a better love life than Kid.

After all, who was watching the girl of their dreams date an asymmetrical, spoiled albino with shark teeth?

_Time together is just never quite enough.  
><em>_**When you and I are alone, I've never felt so at home.**__  
>What will it take to make or break this hint of love?<br>__**We need time, only time.**__  
>When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?<br>__**If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?**__  
>So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?<br>__**All the time, all the time.**_

The way they harmonized was just absolutely beautiful and almost painfully perfect. Soul and Maka's voice complimented one another so very well. Soul wasn't sure if this was because of Maka's perfect pitch, if she was matching him so well after listening to him sing these last few verses, but he loved how it sounded. It was as if they were suddenly tied together, bound in a unique and new way, that they simply knew how to fulfill the other's missing notes and pitches.

The musician in Soul wanted to weep at the elegance of it all, but he was too cool for that.

_**Can you believe that the crew has gone and wouldn't let me sign on?  
>All my islands have sunk in the deep so I can hardly relax or even oversleep.<br>I feel as if I were home, some nights, when we count all the ship lights.  
>I guess I'll never know why sparrows love the snow.<br>We'll turn off all of the lights and set this ballroom aglow.**_

Black*Star would never admit it, but he was damn grateful for his friends right now. If not for them, he never would have ended up doing this. Black*Star really did care for Tsubaki, but he was never good at figuring out romantic things to do. So he was more than willing to let his loyal followers give him a helping hand every now and again.

They had to pay homage to their God somehow.

_So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?  
>All the time.<em>

_Time together is just never quite enough.  
><em>_**When you and I are alone, I've never felt so at home.**__  
>What will it take to make or break this hint of love?<br>__**We need time, only time.**__  
>When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?<br>__**If this is what I call home, why does it feel so alone?**__  
>So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?<br>__**All the time, all the time.**_

_Time together is just never quite enough  
>When we're apart whatever are you thinking of?<br>What will it take to make or break this hint of love?  
>So tell me darling, do you wish we'd fall in love?<br>All the time. (1)_

It was almost funny how things played out, really, when the four would look back on it later. They had never thought they'd be so fortunate to have something so grand happen to them at the same exact moment. There wasn't even really an answer to what motivated each pair to surrender to the little desire in them but they did; perhaps it was destiny at work.

Soul and Maka exchanged their first kiss at the exact same time as their two best friends.

…

Stein didn't consider himself to be a man capable of something as childish as pouting. After all, he was a man with several degrees in various things; things from music theory to medical science. However, these last three weeks without Marie had been impossible hard for him. He wasn't one-hundred percent sure that she had left with B.J., but he also hadn't seen or heard from her in all that time. He had developed this nagging heaviness in his chest that he wasn't fond of.

Now, as he sat in his office with a scalpel balanced on his finger, he did accept that he was most certainly pouting.

He had considered finding various things to amuse himself with but nothing sounded that great. He didn't feel like dealing with Masumi Evans son or his little friends; especially not the one with the spiky blue hair. That kid actually made Stein feel as old as he was! He had thought about seeking out Spirit and doing some type of experiment on him but he felt too tired to do it. He, Professor Franken Stein, was too tired to hackle Spirit Albarn! Oh, it was a cold day in Hell, he was sure of it!

The door creaked open and, instead of an angry Satan, he was greeted by a sheepish Marie.

"Have you come to say good-bye?" He asked, swiveling his chair around so that his back was to her. He could feel a lump developing in his throat as he realized this was the end. Part of him was telling him to act his age and be polite about this whole thing; after all, she had dropped hints that she wanted to settle down and start a little family. He shouldn't make their final moments together so painful for either of them; however, the past of him that was bitter over the whole thing, was currently in control of his thought process.

"No. I turned B.J. down, Stein," She said delicately. His entire body went rigid at this and he turned to face her. One hand reached up and screwed the bolt in his head, trying to twist the words on the tip of his tongue out.

"You what?" He asked softly, still staring at her. She let out a small chuckle and shook her head at him, mumbling something to herself. "Well… Then where have you been these last few weeks, if not off with him?"

"I went on a little trip out of town to clear my head," She said gently. She smiled fondly at him, in a way that made his heart give a quick hop in his chest. "I thought a lot about what B.J. had said to me but I realized that wasn't what I wanted. I loved him at a very different time in my life, where the circumstances were vastly different and I was a completely separate woman than I am today. Who I am is not capable of loving him now; I guess in a way I have grown up and lost my taste for him."

"But he'd make a wonderful father, he has a healthy body with a clear medical history, and he would always take good care of you," Stein argued back flatly. Sure, he was glad that she had chosen her career over B.J., but he didn't want her to throw away a chance at a sort of happiness.

"I can take care of myself now; you taught me how to do that," She said delicately. Her hands laced together in front of her and she smiled wider at him. "And, like I said, I don't love him. I'm going to trust in my heart and stay right where I'm at, with the person I love so much more than anyone else in the world, and just wait it out. In fact, I don't think I'd mind if he and I never settled down and had kids; as long as I can stay by his side I'll be happier than any fake romance could ever make me."

The glint in her eyes clicked in his head and the gears started turning, realizing exactly what she was saying.

"Marie, I-" He was cut off when she shook her head. She let out a small giggle at him.

"You don't have to say anything, Stein," She said in that eternally patience voice of hers. Always so patient she was with him and that was how he knew something had to be wrong with her; no normal woman should be able to tolerate him as well as she did. "I just wanted to clear the air between us."

"I want to say this and feel that I need to," He said while standing up. She blinked, seeming a bit surprised, as he went around the desk and approached her. His hand twitched before it reached up and gently touched her cheek. "I… I think I want those things you want too, Marie. I think I'm ready to have a family and finally settle down." His voice was but a whisper, and his tone was a little shaky, but there was so much sincerity in those words that tears came to Marie's eyes. Her hand slid over his and there was so much warmth in that small connection.

Nothing else needed to be exchanged since he was the Patchwork Conductor and she his Seamstress Soprano; always and forever would she be his Seamstress Soprano.

End

(1) The Saltwater Room by Owl City. If you have not heard this song than **GO LISTEN TO IT**! There's actually an adorable MakaxSoul AMV for this song on youtube somewhere so you can check that out too. I believe it is called Do You Wish We'd Fall In Love.

Notes, ducklings~!:

So, Black*Star may have been a little OOC in this chapter but I think that, if he was put in this situation, he'd actually use what little brain cells he has to treat Tsubaki like a gentlemen would. Plus, I think it'd be cute for him to do so there~!

Medusa and Masumi… *Insert the Darth Vader music from Star Wars* Where is your God now? Huh? Well, I'll tell you where!... Having dinner with a pretty lady in his best friend's mansion, that's where!

Next Chapter:

It is a mystery~!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Chapter Sixteen

Medusa smiled brightly at the man in the hat sitting across from her. The hat was partnered with pair og shades and a dark coat. He blended in perfectly with the dark, smoky atmosphere of the pub they were situated at. She pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table to him. "That should be half what you asked for; you'll get the other half when the deed is done," She explained calmly.

"I don't believe that was what we agreed upon originally," He said flatly. He looked around then leaned closer and tilted the glasses downward. His bright brown eyes looked almost red in the low light. It didn't, however, intimidate Medusa like she assumed the other was trying to do.

"Deals change. You can either accept the new deal or I'll go to someone else who can adjust to a deal change," She stated, reaching to take back the envelope. The other individual slapped a hand down and looked over at her. She grinned as he leaned back in his seat, taking the envelope with him.

"I'll still do it but you should make sure to keep it in mind that we don't like being tricked like this," He said flatly. He then chuckled darkly and shook his head. "You should be grateful I'm still going to do this; other individuals in this field would probably take you out to assure you weren't a cop."

"You know me too well to assume that," She answered back blandly, flashing him a glare. She crossed her arms over her chest and fell back against her own seat just as one of the tavern maids approached them.

"May I bring either of you a beverage? You look quite parched," She advised cheerfully. They both glanced at each other before the hit-man glanced over at Medusa.

She responded with a shrug. "I'll take some water, please; I have plans after this and cannot afford to get drunk beforehand. And get him whatever he wants; just have it placed on my bill," She said, waving a hand at the woman without even looking. Her amber orbs were glinting with annoyance and suspicion; this girl had to be new if she dared to approach them during their negotiations.

"Well then get me a beer; it takes a lot to get me under the table," The man said with a small chuckle. The girl nodded and headed over to the bar, telling the tender what to prepare for them. "So what exactly do you want from me?"

"Make it look like an accident and make sure you get the right target," Medusa responded while standing up. She tightened her cape around her, making sure to yank the hood a little farther over her face. "He'll be joining a young woman named Blair for lunch around two o'clock today at the restaurant The Panda's Bamboo (1) to discuss his daughter's status with her band. Take care of it then." She then turned, knocking over the young tavern girl in the process. She darted out the door without even apologizing to the young woman.

"I'm so sorry sir! I'll get you a fresh drink right away!" The girl stammered out anxiously while scrambling back onto her feet. She darted back off to get a mop while the tender re-prepared the drinks for her.

The man chuckled lightly while tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. "Aren't you just a wonderful woman, Mother dear? Leaving your poor little Ragnarok to kill a man for you," He mumbled under his breath to assure he was unheard.

Getting caught wasn't part of his beloved "Mother's" plans.

…

Soul had woken up earlier than he usually did today for one reason; **his mother**, Masumi Evans, had requested tea with **his girlfriend**, Maka Albarn, **in private**. He swore that, when his mother made the request to the young blonde, Soul could literally here Satan beating the floor with a broom handle, yelling "Turn the fucking heater back on!". Maka had agreed with a bright smile, ignoring the rather expressive gestures Soul made from behind his mother's back. When Masumi left, the two had actually argued about it; Soul knew there was bad blood between the women and worried that things would only get worse with this little social date. They had reached an agreement, though; Maka would get to have tea with Masumi on the agreement that Soul had to approve her attire.

So currently he sat outside of Maka's door holding a letter from an anonymous sender. He had found it in between the shutters of his window this morning, as if someone had been afraid he wouldn't get it and shoved it in on their own, but hadn't had the time to read it yet. He had just sent Maka back to her room three times in a row because her dresses were simply too modest. "May as well read this while I wait for her to come back out," He thought with a grumble, prying open the top. He unfolded the page and let his eyes skim the page.

Soul Evans,

This is Chrona Gorgon… You may remember me as the person who tried to, uh, stab you that one time. Sorry about that; I don't know how to handle certain situations. The reason I write this letter, however, is not to apologize. I need to meet with you immediately because of a rather pressing matter involving our mother's that must be addressed; meet me today at the park a mile from your home at about two o'clock. I know you'll be resistant to meeting me, especially given my lack of description in this letter, but it is very pressing.

If you do not meet me, something terrible may befall Maka Albarn.

Chrona Gorgon

P.S. Rip this up and set it on fire right after reading; don't leave a trace of its existence behind.

Soul was a little surprised that such a small paragraph had taken young Chrona two whole pages to complete. Then again, considering there were tons of scribbles and scratches from the pen on the page, he figured it sort of made sense. He knew that Chrona had never been good at handling people and expressing his feelings so it figured that he'd have just as many issues expressing himself on pen and paper.

What caught his attention was the mention of an imposing threat to Maka. If Chrona was trying to provoke Soul into wanting to throttle him, he was doing a pretty good job so far. He crumpled the note up with a scowl and glared, shoving the paper wad into his pocket roughly. "What was that?" Maka's voice asked suddenly, curiosity with a slight undertone of grumpy.

He glanced up and had to actually do a double take. Maka stood there before him in a cute little number he hadn't even thought possible of the other having in her closet. The top of the dress was strapless, leaving her shoulders bare, in a corset style with snowy white fabric. There were light yellow ribbons criss-crossing along the front and back, tied in little bows at her stomach and base of her spine. The skirt was a powder blue color that draped down to her ankles and was tied together with a pair of yellow strap up heels. The rim of the torso portion and the edges of the skirt had the same yellow tint as the ribbons stitched along it in a lacy ruffling. About two inches off her shoulders were tied on sleeves that reached to her wrists. They were white, like the top, and tied into place with the same yellow ribbon as the corset. There were faint traces of make-up on her eyes; just enough to accent the color of her eyes and her complexion. She had finished the outfit off by tying her hair up in a bun with two bangs released to frame her face. The best thing, to Soul at least, was that the dress accented all the curves and shapes of her petite figure usually hidden by her more casual clothes.

"You don't like it," Maka said flatly. She let out a loud sigh and threw her arms in the air. "Ugh! I never should have let Blair convince me to buy this thing; I told her I was never going to wear it!" She growled while heading back toward her door.

She was startled into stopping when Soul was suddenly upon her, his hands slamming on either side of the wall and effectively trapping her between his arms. She jerked and looked up at him, blinking in surprise a few times. Before she could open her mouth to say something or ask what he was doing his lips were upon hers. The kiss was a protective, heated little connection that made her release a small whimper.

Kissing Soul was something Maka had never thought she'd enjoy nearly as much as she did. There was always so much passion in it. There first kiss had been on the bus ride home from the beach and it had been quite an interesting experience. Since Maka hadn't been expecting it, they had bumped noses and teeth. Soul's teeth had, in turn, nicked Maka's lower lip and drawn a little blood from it. Though it hadn't been perfect, and Soul had been completely embarrassed the rest of the night, Maka had still found it to be a favorite new memory of hers.

But now that the two were better coordinated with one another, it was a much more enjoyable pastime. Soul tilted his head downward a bit more and eased back a little, giving Maka more space to either kiss back or pull away; her shocked state had left her with little more to do than let out small noises. She responded by meeting the kiss and letting herself relax against the wall a little. Soul pulled away slowly and smirked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Remind me to let Blair take you shopping more often. I mean… Hot damn," He whistled while leaning back a bit to give her more room.

She responded by blushing and shooting him a small glare. "I'm glad you like it but will this pass for tea time with your wonderful mother?" She asked, a few of her words dripping with sarcasm. She then shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry; I need to stop saying stuff like that." She grumbled lightly. He laughed and brushed it off calmly.

"This dress will be perfect. The point is to shock and amaze my mother; if it can make a guy like me react the way I did it'll definitely win her over," He explained with a proud smirk. Maka laughed and shook her head at him before kissing his cheek.

"So what will you be doing while I'm having tea with your mother? Hanging out with Black*Star or something?" She asked curiously as she shut her door and took a spot beside him. Soul blinked then shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

"Something came up, actually; sounds pretty important so I've got to go handle that," He said simply, his thumb brushing along the crumpled letter in his pocket.

…

Soul ended up at the park but he had not come alone as the letter had suggested. No, he had decided to bring Wesley with him; well, less decided to bring him along and more Wesley had forced his brother to allow him to tag along. When the elder Evans sibling saw how frustrated and irate his brother was being (well, more so than usual, anyway) he had asked the problem. Soul had admitted that he had a meeting with an individual he'd like to bludgeon severely. As a result of that remark Wes was now heading over towards Chrona Gorgon, who was seated on a park bench watching some pigeons, with Soul.

He felt that it kinda made his cool levels drop; who seriously had their big brothers come along to help them fight their battles?

Chrona glanced up and panic filled his eyes and made them grow in size. He scrambled to his feet and started to step backwards. "W-Who is that? I… I was only expecting you…. Oh, no… Oh, dear… I don't know how to handle this," He whimpered shakily, his fingers reaching toward his head. He clenched his hair and looked back and forth frantically.

Soul opened his mouth to speak when Wes stepped forward a bit. He rested his hands on Chrona's shoulders, causing him to flinch and look up fearfully. "We aren't going to hurt you and I'm sorry to intrude. My younger brother was just very worried and I wanted to try and help him," He explained gently. The sincerity in his tone actually made Soul twitch a bit in surprise. All this time he just assumed that Wesley was nosy, like their parents, but perhaps his brother actually did care about him.

The other blinked then seemed to calm back down again. "You're a good brother. My brother is not a good brother," Chrona mumbled, his eyes downcast. He then shook his head and looked back over at Soul. "But, that is not the matter at hand! Maka and everyone she cares about are in grave danger!" He said in his usual panicked tone.

"What do you mean by that? And how is my mother involved?" Soul asked while stepping closer as well. Wesley's eyes widened and he looked at the younger in alarm.

"Mother has something to do with this?" He asked in sheer horror. Both turned their garnet spheres to Chrona, who shifted uncomfortably and nodded.

"A few weeks ago your mother had tea with my mother," He started out softly. He swallowed hard and sank into the park bench again, his head in his hands and his whole body shaking. "She was mad at Maka because of how Maka can be. She started saying how Maka said that they kicked me out because they said they could get someone more talented but she wouldn't say that. Maka… Is a little rough, but she's a good person. She only ever tried to help me and I failed her. I want to help her now as a sort of thanks." He fell silent for a beat and the two saw a few tears drip to the sidewalk. They didn't make a comment and simply waited for him to speak. "My mother and your mother started saying how Maka needed to be put in her place. They said that maybe, if Maka lost everything else that mattered to her, she'd be more humble and fall into where they felt she belonged in society."

"You mean they're going to take out a hit on someone?" Soul asked in disbelief. His mother was a heartless woman a lot of the time, who cared only of what her high society buddies thought of her, but was she truly that cruel?

"My older brother, Ragnarok, is not a good brother. He has always been violent and rude and harsh," Chrona started nervously. His anxious movements and bizarre twitching became worse than Soul had seen it. "He started hurting other people for money after he left our house. He would follow people, break their things, and take pictures of them when they were doing bad things… He even broke a man's arm once because my mother paid him to. My mother implied that she would use her connections to handle it. I think that she'd going to have Ragnarok attack Maka's family."

"Damnit!" Soul cursed, turning and kicking a nearby rock. It hit a tree, leaving a decent dent in it. A squirrel in the tree chattered and shook a paw at him angrily. He then turned back to Chrona. "Do you know when?"

"No. They didn't talk about that while I was listening," He mumbled sadly. He shook his head and let out a small whimper. "I… I was already afraid of getting caught. I wanted to get away while I was unnoticed and still had a chance to share what I did know with you."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? If you had we could have done something sooner!" The silver haired male snapped angrily. Chrona whimpered and held up his arms, as if expecting a blow to be dealt. Wesley turned to his brother with one hand extended patiently.

"Soul, it took a lot of courage for him to come to us in the first place. We shouldn't get angry at him when he's given us this information," He said calmly. Soul snorted and turned away, annoyed with his brother's valid arguments. Wesley turned his attention back to Chrona. "Thank you so much for what you've told us. Let's go, Soul; we need to confront Mother about this; if we ask together than she'll have no option but to tell us the truth." He said. The two turned to leave when Chrona made a small noise to get their attention. It sounded a lot like a squeaking mouse.

"Can… If you see her, can you tell Patty that I'm sorry?" He asked softly, looking at his feet. Soul blinked then sighed and shoved his hands in his pocket.

"Don't you think it'd mean a lot more to her if it came from your mouth yourself?" Soul asked with a raised eyebrow. The lavender haired male twitched and started fiddling with his fingers.

"I… I don't know how to deal with that… I've never apologized to anyone before," He stammered out nervously. Soul sighed and scratched the back of his head in thought.

"Go to her house with some flowers, ask to speak to her, give her the flowers and tell her that you're really sorry for shanking her," Soul said before shoving his hands in his pockets. "We gotta get going, Chrona. Thanks for the info and see you around." He said before turning on the heel of his sneakers and marching off.

"Oh! Uh… T-Thank you!" Chrona called back suddenly to the other boy. Wesley chuckled and caught up to his sibling in a few quick strides.

"I never would have expected Soul Cornelius Evans to be a nice guy beneath that rebellious bravado he portrays for the world," The older male snorted lightly. Soul responded by glaring at him angrily.

"Shut up Wes! You are so uncool some ti-" He was cut off by the loud screech of tires and a loud female scream. Their eyes snapped open and they looked at one another.

"That sounded like Blair!" Wes stated before taking off running. Soul was right at his heels, both rushing to the nearby accident sight.

…

Masumi Evans had lived her life throwing others into the pit of defeat to keep herself from sneaking beneath it. Hell, she had actually ruined the reputation of another young girl when she was in her teen's to assure that William Evans would notice only her! Though she had typically relied on rumors and faked confidences to achieve her goals, Masumi had always assumed that if brute force was necessary she would have no qualms using it. When she had met up with Medusa, had decided on what they would be doing, she had been excited at first. Using words and speculations hadn't work on Maka Albarn so physical and mental blows were all she had left.

So why did she suddenly feel so uncertain as to the logic behind her previous decision?

When she had seen the outfit Maka was wearing she had been initially alarmed. If anything, she expected the young girl to wear something more casual to this little get-together. After all, she had seen Maka's concept of "fancy and formal" and was far from impressed. But this dress (although a touch revealing) was a nice little number that jazzed up Maka's overall appearance. Her eyes looked brighter, her hair lighter and there even seemed to be more color to her complexion. She had to admit the other woman looked good with her hair put up, showing off the actual length of her neck and framing her face with a few loose strands.

And her manners were another thing! She had been polite, humble and overall the perfect guest for a cup of afternoon tea. She worded things carefully, making sure not to sound insulting or condescending, and had complimented Masumi quite a few times. They had shared a few pleasant conversations and, of all things, Masumi had actually found herself laughing and smiling sincerely at a few of the other woman's stories! She took a deep breath, deciding to get to the bottom of this whole thing. She just knew it had to be a set up of some sort!

"What are you aiming for, Maka?" She asked finally, her face sobering up while she set her tea cup back down on the glass coaster. The other blinked a few times, jade orbs alight with confusion and concern.  
>"You and I have not had many nice things to say about one another in quite a few months; ever since you showed up, if we want to be realistic and pessimistic in the same sitting. In yet, here you are, all sunshine and kindness and good humor. Why is that?"<p>

Maka set her own cup down and looked at the older woman with a small smile in place. "For as many insults I've dealt you, I know you aren't ignorant or stupid, Duchess Evans," She started out delicately. She never once looked away, never once faltered, and let the courage in her eyes shine through. "You must have realized at this point that Soul and I have begun dating. I am sure you don't approve; and, to be completely blunt, I can see where society would turn its nose up at the pair of us. He is the heir to a world-renown Dukedom of professional musicians while I am the daughter of a simply bodyguard and deceased singer. I have inherited perfect pitch, which gives me some degree of intelligence with music, but other than that I have nothing else involving your family's trade. I'm a bit of a loud-mouth and a cry baby every now and then; I get defensive easily and have been known to use fine examples of literature as lethal weapons. You and I fight like cats and dogs due to our own reservations about one another, so I know you don't like anything about me. Despite knowing all these things, however, Soul still says he cares for me in a way I'm not quite used to. And, honestly, I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way." Maka took a deep breath, waiting a beat for Masumi to absorb what she had said so far, before pressing onward. "To be honest, Soul cares what you think of him. He may act all cool and aloof, but he just wants you and Duke Evans to accept him for who he is. In order for you two to start embracing him, I've realized, I should try to make the tension in the house a little easier for him to bear. After all, maybe then he'll be less uptight all the time. Therefore, I don't mind trying to be nice to you for his sake and that is the reason I am doing this."

Ruby orbs widened in alarm before looking downward to her tea. This girl was really doing this all just for one troublemaking, lazy boy? She wasn't sure if she should be as admirable as she currently was.

"That… That is a very mature decision for a woman of your age,"

"I have been told I act more like a sixty year old woman than a normal teenager a lot," Maka said with a small giggle. Masumi nodded and giggled lightly as well. All this time she had assumed that the common children were dirty little brats with attitude and violence as their only defense. Seeming how Soul interacted with Black*Star, who had basically been raised by watching those same poor children, as well as Maka's attitude the other times they spoke had helped to solidify that belief in her. In yet here was that harsh young girl, sitting before her and saying she would shape up to make things easier on Soul. Masumi felt a small lump develop in her throat but she swallowed to push it away.

She would try to put things in the past and adjust to this young girl her son was in love with; as a means to apologize for ever thinking her son a delinquent. "That maturity is a good thing to have if you'll be dealing with my Soul; he doesn't always act his age," She warned teasingly.

Maka smiled brightly and giggled. "I think I can make an adult of him yet, with a little help," She hummed happily. They both chuckled lightly as a servant darted over with a phone in his hand. He skid to a stop in front of Maka, a look of terror on his face.

Masumi felt her stomach sink suddenly. _'Medusa… She must have put the plan in to action!'_ She thought fearfully.

"What is it? Maka asked curiously, a small frown coming to her features.

"There is a call from Master Soul for you; he says it's urgent," He panted, handing her the phone. She took it quickly.

"Soul, what's wrong?" She asked gently. There was a pause, Soul's voice coming out distraught and muffled on the other end. Masumi's hands laced together in her lap and she looked away, disgusted by knowing she'd had a hand in this horrible incident. "No… No, it can't be…" Maka whispered brokenly, tears already starting to prick at the back of her eyes.

…

"So he treats her well?" Spirit asked Blair for the umpteenth time since they left the Albarn home. They were currently walking to their destination to enjoy a light lunch together. Spirit had been ready to go when she had arrived and, since they met up, been asking Blair various questions about the relationship between Maka and Soul. At first, the indigo haired female thought it cute and sweet he was so protective; now, she was starting to get a little annoyed with it.

"Yes, Spirit. He takes wonderful care of Maka, she loves spending time with him, they are very happy and I do not know if they are having sex yet," Blair said gently, making sure to list the answer to every question he had asked her in the last few moments. She thought maybe that way she could cut him off and get him started on the new subject she had in mind.

"What if they are and they aren't safe? My little Maka isn't ready to have a baby! Just yesterday I was tying ribbons in her hair, Blair!" He wailed loudly, his hands falling into his hair. Large, comical tears were trailing down his face. "She's just a baby herself! Oh, MAKA~!" Blair hadn't thought he could possibly get any louder; she was proven wrong. She laughed nervously and smiled at the strangers looking at them strange as they passed.

"Anyway, Spirit," Blair laughed lightly as they reached a crosswalk. She hit the walk button and waited patiently while he composed himself again. "I've been thinking about taking them on a tour. The Evans would be paying for everything we'd need while Wesley and I would make sure they children are well tended after. It could be a great experience for Maka; she'd get to see the world and get tutored by some of the best minds around. However, I need your permission to do so."

Blue and gold clashed for a moment before Spirit looked up. The light had changed and they were permitted to walk. "Maka has always wanted to see more of the world but we never had the money or time," He remarked with a small sigh. He reached into his pocket as he walked to pull out his cigarettes and lighter. "If Maka wants to do this than she may go. But, please, Blair; make sure she's safe and healthy." He said, flashing her a smile.

"Of course I will! Maka's like a little sister to me, nyah~!" She gushed back happily. He nodded, fumbling with his lighter briefly. It hit the ground and he uttered a small curse. Blair paused a few feet away and perked up, seeing a car speeding toward them. Her eyes widened even more upon realizing that it was heading straight for Spirit. "Look out!" She cried out, rushing forward and pushing him as hard as she could. She, luckily enough, got to him in time but was stuck kissing the car instead.

Just as her body was sent tumbling into the air, her body reacted by releasing a terrified scream.

End

(1) The Panda's Bamboo! Get it? It's like the cat's meow… Only with… Pandas… Instead… Yeah, I'm going to stop talking now. *Hides in corner of shame and sulks*

Notes:

Yeah, didn't see that coming huh? I like to throw in plot twists whenever I get the chance. And now, I flee so I might live long enough to see the next update~! Toodles~!

Next Chapter:

It is a mystery~!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination. Also, I was listening to the song The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel when I started this chapter; therefore, I made sure I was in the groove for the start of this chapter.

Chapter Seventeen

Maka had been completely silent the whole car ride to the hospital. Masumi, who always felt a degree of discomfort in silent situations, had tried several times to open Maka up and soothe her. Then again, Masumi had never been very good at soothing her own children so, after quite a few failures, she forced herself to simply deal with the silence. She would stare out the window, glance at the seats; look anywhere but directly at Maka, basically. She had never really been a woman to feel guilt, but suddenly every bad thing she'd ever done was gnawing away at her mind. The most recent incident involving the blonde sitting across from her was the one getting at her the most.

How had she thought this could ever be a way to teach the young girl a lesson?

When they arrived, Maka rushed out of the car and into the hospital. She collided into Soul in a matter of seconds, latching onto him and looking with pleading eyes. He shook his head quietly and tears welled in her eyes. "She's still in the ER so we won't know anything for a little while longer," He stated softly.

"Maka," Spirit said softly as he walked over. She turned to look at him, seeing how disheveled and red his eyes were. There were new tears starting to spring up at the corners of his eyes even now. Maka slipped free of Soul's hold and went to her father, falling into his embrace and hugging him fiercely. They started muttering to one another; their voices were too soft to be understood by any of their surrounding support and, to some degree, it was better that way.

When Masumi entered, both her son's looked at her. The way they glared at her was all she needed to know that they had figured it out somehow. Soul tilted his head and headed off, aiming to go to the vending machines at the other end of the hallway. They could shut the door and talk privately that way; he didn't want Maka and Spirit to have to hear any of this. Once all three Evans were in the room, he shut the door and leaned against it with his arms crossed, making sure to cut off his mother's only escape route.

"What the Hell were you thinking?" It was almost laughable, this exchange of power and authority. If not for her knowing better, Masumi may have laughed at how deliciously pathetic her current predicament was. Somehow she knew that laughter (even the hollow and bitter kind she would have released) would have only sparked more fury from her sons.

"I didn't want her polluting you, Soul," She said simply. His eyes widened and he snarled, opening his mouth to speak. "But I was wrong; she's a very good girl. She's smarter, as well as wittier, than any of the girls that would match our level in society. But I didn't realize that until today and, to be honest, I didn't really think that it was possible for me to like her. I was so focused on reminding her where she came from in society since she was so adamant about not caring that I didn't even think about what I was doing. I didn't care if someone else had to die as long as I got my point across."

"Of course," Wesley said suddenly, speaking up for the first time since their arrival to the hospital. Soul had almost forgotten his brother could talk with how things had gone so far. "All that has ever mattered to you or Father was that things went your way. Heaven forbid that Soul or I have views, opinions or feelings of our own. None of that matters if it runs the risk of ruining your perfect schedule, right, Mother? No one else matters until you realize you could end up suffering because of your own actions!" Never had the eldest Evans child sound so sincerely furious; Masumi and even Soul flinched at his words and tone.

"Wesley, that isn't-"She tried to argue frantically.

"Yes, it is! You realized that you could go to jail for this and now you just want to cover your bases! You want to make sure that Soul and I will cover for you if an investigation is launched and your accomplices should turn on you! But I'm done, Mother; I am sick of cleaning up your messes and giving up my life for that! You are nothing but a traitorous bitch that should never have had children; you have never and will never pass as a capable mother!" His fists were clenched and he looked ready to launch himself at his mother. He held himself back; he had been trained against that sort of behavior, after all.

Masumi was shaking in her shoes, tears pooling at her eyes. She had always known that she would never be a good parent but she had never thought she'd be this terrible of a mother. Both her children hated her and felt that she cared nothing for them. She swallowed hard and sniffled lightly, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. "I am not afraid of jail; I deserve to go there for my part in this. If you would like to, you are free to call the cops and have them take me away. I'll go quietly," She said meekly, looking at the floor.

"I called them not too long ago and told them what I knew; just stay here until they arrive," He said flatly before heading to the door. He looked at Soul, who seemed rather stunned himself, but he stepped aside and let Wes go past.

"When did you have time to do that?" He whispered lowly, raising an eyebrow at his older sibling. Wes didn't look at him and just rested his hands against the doorframe.

"I did it while you were on the phone with Maka," He answered in a blank tone of voice. Soul perked up and noticed a few payphones attached to the wall on the other side of the room. Now he knew where his brother had gone exactly; Soul had to use Wesley's phone because the battery of his own cell phone had died. And with those words uttered, Wes Evans took his leave.

Soul decided to stay and wait for the police to arrive with his mother; it was the first time that a silence between them had ever felt so awkward.

…

Maka hadn't been too surprised when the police led Masumi Evans out in handcuffs about twenty minutes after she arrived. Maka was not an idiot and knew what guilt looked like; Masumi was not as smart as she wanted to pretend to be and was clearly not an actress. Soul sat next to Maka and she let out a small sigh. "What do you know?" She asked quietly. He blinked, alarmed, and looked at her. "Considering your mother is being led away in cuffs by the popo, I have a growing hunch you know more than I do. Time for you to share your stories."

Soul sighed and leaned back against his chair, not really in the mood to explain. He also knew, however, that if he didn't Maka would be more than likely to just bombard him with demands until he yielded; easier to give her what he wanted than run the risk of fighting. "Medusa and my mother were behind this whole thing," He started out calmly. He looked to the ceiling, not wanting to meet Maka's gaze. "Chrona sent me a letter and asked to meet with me today; he was the one who told me everything. Medusa hired her older son, Ragnarok, to take care of it. They were supposed to kill your father; Blair saw the oncoming car and shoved him out of the way."

Maka was silent for a while before letting her face fall into her hands. "Of course," She grumbled lightly. Soul was stunned that she sounded more annoyed by the whole truth than emotionally crushed. "I should have seen this coming and prepared… I should have warned Blair and Papa about what may happen after I got into the brawl with Medusa."

"Wait, are you trying to blame yourself for this?" Soul asked, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at him. He twitched at the blank glint to her eyes. "Oh, no you don't! You just stopped blaming yourself for what happened to your mother; I am not letting you drag yourself back down that road! It isn't your fault that two grown fucking women who know better decided to try and fuck up your life just because they didn't like you! You have no one to blame but them and you know it!"

"Soul," She stated softly, blinking a few times in sheer surprise. He sighed lightly and then gave her a weak smile.

"You know better than to think like that, you know?" He asked lightly. She sucked in a breath then smiled back just as weakly and nodded. He let his head drop to her shoulder as his smile widened slightly. "Good."

A doctor walked over and they all jolted to attention. He blinked then chuckled lightly. "Are you all here for Miss Blair?" He asked curiously. The four individuals nodded in silence and he chuckled again. "She should be just fine now; her injuries looked a lot worse than they actually were. She'll need lots of rest here in the hospital for a few weeks and may have to attend some physical therapy; her right arm took some pretty big damage from when she… Well, hit the ground." He seemed a bit nervous and uncomfortable with how to explain the last snippet. When he wasn't met by any threats, curses and anything seemingly bad he relaxed a little bit more.

"Can we go in to talk with her?" Wesley asked, sounding slightly more composed and like himself. Soul had decided not to mention what was said by his older brother simply because he didn't blame him. If Maka had been the one struck by the car, well… Soul was pretty sure he'd have a really bad reaction to that too.

"One at a time, yes; she's still a little loopy from the meds so we want to try and keep her as relaxed as possible. A huge crowd, even if it is friends, may startle her too much for our liking," He said delicately. The four individuals looked between one another before Soul inclined his head toward Maka.

"I think she should go in first, then Wes, Spirit and lastly me if she's still awake at that point," Soul recommended. Wes blinked, for a moment seeming to be thinking about arguing, but simply responded by nodding his head simply in agreement. Maka glanced between the two before nodding and following the doctor down the halls.

Maka had never really liked hospitals for various reasons; one being the aura of illness and sorrow that seemed to seep through the entire building and the fact it reminded her of her mother. Kami, because of her condition, was often in and out of hospitals. Maka, being the dutiful and loving daughter she was, would come and visit her mother during the longer stays whenever she could. She had never, however, been all that comfortable with the large building. Even now, walking down the clean white halls with the calm doctor, she was trying to suppress a mix of discomfort and distain from bubbling out to the surface.

And it wasn't that she didn't respect the work being done in hospitals. She admired the men, women and patients who dedicated themselves to trying to find cures for diseases to save others. And it wasn't that she had an issue with the concept of the things done in the hospitals, either (although she did have a small issue with needles). She thought it was wonderful that these facilities existed to help tend to the ailing individuals in society. She just… Well, she just didn't like how this place made her feel. She could not, for the life of her, find any other reason that she felt the way she did; while this irked her to some degree, she dropped it as the doctor reached a door and stopped.

Her plan had worked; trying to use logic had distracted her the whole walk to the room!

"Miss Blair should be in here. If she's asleep just let myself or any other faculty member know; we'll keep an eye on her to see if she does before visiting hours are over," He explained gently. She nodded and swallowed, jade orbs shifting uncertainly to the door. The doctor gave her shoulder a warm, reassuring squeeze before stepping back to give her more space. She smiled at him lightly before opening the door and heading in meekly.

Maka had grown use to the sight of seeing a person in a hospital bed with wires attached to them; just see Exhibit Mama in her life. But Blair had her arm in a manila colored cast with a few other bandages dotting her face. Any other bandages were covered by the light blue blankets tucked up on to her chest. Hazy gold eyes shifted over to her and a little smile came on her lips. "Maka, you're wearing that dress I told you to buy. You look so cute like that," She said in a happy yet tired tone of voice. Maka blinked back tears and walked over, settling into a chair beside the bed. She then took one of the other woman's hands in her own.

"I'm so happy you're okay, Blair," She said softly, sniffling a bit. She felt tears of relief beginning to trickle down her cheeks. "I… I can't think what I'd do if you'd left me too… I was afraid I'd lose you like Mama."

Blair's hand slipped up from Maka's grasp and cupped her cheek lightly. Green eyes widened a bit and shifted down to the smiling face of her beloved friend. "I wouldn't do that to you, Maka. Bu-Tan is going to be here for as long as you need her," She mused happily. Maka leaned down and rested her head on her shoulder.

"I love you so much, Blair," She said softly, sniffling again. Blair's hand gently stroked the back of her head.

"Bu-Tan loves you too, Maka," She whispered back happily.

End

Notes:

Sorry this was short; I had severe writer's block and then I had tons of work/ family things to do. Wanted to post this and couldn't go any further than this.

Next chapter will be much longer and be up (hopefully) much sooner. It will also be the last chapter.

Also, I have a new poll up. Please check it out.


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. I do own the plot. Any other sources used that are not of my own creation (poetry, lyrics, quotes, etc) or things that may not be common knowledge shall be cited and I will explain their relevance at the end. Anything not cited is of my own imagination.

Epilogue

Chrona had spent nearly two hours looking around the flower shop debating on what bouquet to get for Patty. He had left the house early this morning when the cops arrived to take his mother away. He hadn't expected it but there was a weight lifted from his shoulders at the sight of his mother being taken to the prison. All his life his mother told him it was his fault his father left them; that Chrona was so hideous and difficult to deal with that his father had jumped ship. "You're lucky I would never leave you like that, Chrona," His mother would say in a soothing tone while he sobbed. She was always smirking at him when she spoke. "I'll take care of you and then, some day when you're famous, you can take care of Mother."

He had a growing suspicion, however, that his mother had realized at this point that he had "taken care of Mother" in a way she never anticipated.

So here he was, standing in a flower shop while his only two family members were taken away by the fuzz. A young clerk approached him, a small smile on her lips. "Hey there, sir. Are you having trouble finding the right flowers?" She asked curiously.

"Eek! I-I'm sorry! I-I don't know how to handle this!" He yelped fearfull, crouching down and covering his head with his arms. Did this girl sense his confusion and see him an idiot? He didn't know how to handle that, either. The young clerk blinked, momentarily dazed by Chrona's response, before she knelt down beside him and gently rested her hand on his shoulder. He peeked at her curiously before swallowing and saying, in a meek voice, "I need to get some flowers to say I'm sorry to someone."

"Alright, I can help you with that," She said cheerfully while standing back up. Slowly, feeling a bit more relaxed now that he wasn't being mocked, Chrona rose to his feet and followed her through the many aisles of fresh flowers. "Now, the way we do bouquets here is that we have a main center flower and then three others that we place around it to help accent its beauty. You said you needed to apologize to someone, right? Well there's actually a flower that means "I'm Sorry"; the purple hyacinth." She said while plucking a handful of the flower and showing it to Chrona. He blinked then smiled lightly and nodded.

"They're very pretty. I think she'll like them," He said sweetly, blushing a bit. The clerk blinked then grinned impishly at him.

"She? Ah, it's your girlfriend, right?" She asked slyly. This caused the other to yelp, blush darker, and try to sputter out an explanation frantically. She giggled lightly in response, placing a hand over her mouth. "I was just teasing a little. I assume this is for a friend who just happens to be a girl, right?"

"Yeah… I was really mean to her once and I… I haven't felt right about it," Chrona looked down and scuffed the front of his sneakers against the concrete flooring. He shifted a bit, feeling slightly awkward for bearing his soul like this to a complete stranger. "I've been too afraid to tell her how sorry I am but I recently got some really good advice and decided to go with it."

"Well we'll help you too. Other than the apology, what other feelings do you get from this girl?" She asked curiously. Chrona blushed a bit and looked off to the side. His cheeks turned a bit pink as he thought.

Although he was closer with Maka than the others in the group, it was Patty he admired. He had always seen Maka as an older sister figure, guarding over him like it was her job; Patty, however, rarely even gave him the time of day. She was always so sure of herself, so headstrong and optimistic. He often times wished he could be like her, smile like her, and had enjoyed his time getting to be around her. They had rarely spoken but something about her simply made him feel… lighter somehow. "I… She's a really strong person. She's been through a lot of bad things in her life yet she doesn't dwell on it or let it get her down. She's always smiling and she… Reminds me a lot of the sun; always casting her light on other people and just letting them bask in her glow. She's just incredible," He said shyly, a smile crawling on to his face the more he spoke about the younger Thompson sister.

"It sounds like you like her a lot more than friends," The clerk commented. Chrona nodded shyly, his fingers twisting and fiddling around with one another anxiously. "Well, I think that the following three flowers would go great with what you're trying to express; gardenias, lavender heathers, and irises. Let me show you what they look like and then you can tell me if you agree or not, okay?" She asked cheerfully as she led him along.

Chrona jolted up as a sudden thought struck him. "Um… I- I don't want to be difficult but I was wondering if you could arrange the flowers in a special way," He said nervously.

She tilted her head at him. "You mean in a special way within the plastic wrap?"

"Um, I actually had something kind of different in mind," He said, still anxious. The young clerk, eager to help the young male in his quest for love, eagerly agreed to help him whatever it was. After they picked out the flowers, he told her what he had in mind and she was momentarily stunned. She'd never gotten such a request, but she did find a way to manage (although it took four separate attempts to get it to work).

After that, Chrona stopped by a small candy parlor and got a batch of sour apple gummy rings. He remembered that Patty had a severe sweet spot for the delicious treat; he specifically remembered her sharing them with him once. He had liked them too and, since they were alone, the two traded war stories about their parents. It was then that she told him the truth about her mother and he first realized how strong she really was. It was the first time he had ever seen Patty lose her smile for even a moment; the gravity of it left him unsure how to respond like usual so he decided to go with keeping quiet.

He had to keep his mind on that memory as he walked up to the door to Kid's family estate, where he knew Patty would be.

He knocked lightly and heard her call out "Just a second!" from the other side of the door. His stomach twisted into knots as he heard her approach closer. He was going to have to do this, going to have to steel himself. The door opened and Patty stood there, wearing her usual black and white maid's attire as she was obligated to wear while working. She blinked a few times, sky blue eyes twinkling in shock. "Chrona…" She said softly, stepping into the doorway.

"Um… Hi, Patty. I.. I-uh- I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened," He said shyly, looking everywhere but at her. He then pressed his gifts to her, which she took in slight surprise. "I got you some sour apple gummies because I remembered you liked them. And I got some flowers… I had the clerk get them knotted up in the shape of a giraffe because I remembered you like giraffes too. So… Uh… Yeah, um… I guess I'll see you around." He said hurriedly, twirling to turn and run.

"Chrona, did you want to come in?" She asked suddenly, causing him to pause. He turned and looked at her, stunned, to find her smiling brightly. "I was making some tea since Liz and Kid were talking in the study privately. Want to join me for a cup to catch up?" He felt like weeping in joy at how eagerly she accepted him and the emotions left him too overwhelmed to speak; he simply nodded and followed her back inside.

Patty truly was an incredible young lady to him.

…

Liz had brought in a tray of snacks for Kid as he sat in his study, flipping through several books. Kid's father had been scouting out colleges for the young marquis heir to attend; thus, Kid had been forced to take his studies much more seriously. Band practice had been completely cut from his schedule and when he wasn't eating, sleeping, or using the restroom he was at his desk answering questions and writing essays.

Since the band had broken up, it wasn't like Kid was really neglecting anything in that sense.

"Kid, why don't you take a break?" She suggested gently, pouring him a cup before placing eight small spoonfuls of sugar into the cup and stirring. He made a small noise, not taking his nose from his book, and she sighed lightly. She lightly tapped the spoon against the rim of the cup, set the cup on the tray and then walked over. She set it down and finally his golden eyes shifted up to her curiously. "Don't worry, Kid; I put eight spoons of sugar in there for you."

"Thank you," He said softly, a tense little smile worming up to his lips. She gently rested her hand on his head, eyes darkening a bit in concern.

"Are you still upset about Maka?" She asked delicately. He blinked, eyes widening slightly, before he looked off to the side and cleared his throat.

"Maka has made her decision; though I may not approve completely, I will do my best to support her," He said before picking up his cup and taking a small sip. "It's perfect, thank you."

"I'm glad," Liz said before settling into a chair next to Kid. She took a deep breath before looking up at him seriously. "Are you really still in love with her?"

He blinked and tilted his head at her curiously. "I will always have some degree of love for her; she was my first love, after all. But no, I am no longer in love with her in that sense of the word. I know when I've been beat and have accepted Soul to be the better match for her. For now I'll focus on my studies and then on finding Miss Right. Who knows; she may be closer than I thought," He said gently, looking at her sweetly.

Liz blushed a bit but sat beside him quietly, smiling and just enjoying being around him.

…

Tsubaki had stopped by Black*Star's house very early that morning to make him breakfast. She had been surprised to find the whole place in complete disarray, with trash littering the floor. There was little to no fresh food in the refrigerator and there were tons of cobwebs and bugs scattered about. _'No wonder he never wants to be here; it's filthy,'_ Tsubaki thought before taking a deep breath and clapping her hands over her cheeks. "Okay; let's see if we can't get this place a little more presentable." She said aloud, smiling and getting pumped.

After nearly two hours of hard work, she had cleaned out the front room and kitchen of the Star clan manor; she had even called in a favor from a friend and had some groceries delivered so she could start cooking.

"What's going on?" Black*Star yawned as he walked out. He was clad in nothing but a pair of black boxers and looked rather tired. She blushed lightly and pulled out a frying pan.

"I hope you don't mind but I let myself in with that spare key you gave me. I did a little bit of cleaning and was just getting ready to make some breakfast for us both," She explained sweetly. He blinked, surprise bright in his forest green spheres, before smiling widely. Black*Star couldn't even remember his actual parents anymore; they'd passed on when he was much younger. He also couldn't remember the last time he'd had a home-cooked meal. Sure, he'd occasionally hi-jack a seat at the Evans family table but that was completely different.

Even he could sense the tension within the family and that always took away from the enjoyment of the meal.

"I don't mind at all. I am going to warn you, though; since I'm a God I have a huge appetite," He wanted her cheerfully. She blinked then smiled brightly at him in return.

"I think I can handle that," She said cheerfully.

…

Spirit smiled lightly as he offered Blair another bouquet of flowers. "These are from the fish merchant; he said he hopes you feel better soon," He explained calmly. Wesley, seated beside the indigo haired female, scoffed a little bit.

"How very kind of him. In fact, I think I may go by and thank him personally," He said blandly. Blair giggled and laced her fingers with his own, giving it a light squeeze.

"Oh, it'll be okay, Wes-Kun~!" She giggled happily. She leaned over carefully and dropped her head on his shoulder. She then looked over at Spirit. "So Maka leaves this morning, huh?" She asked gently.

He nodded quietly. "Yes, she and Soul are going off to Britain together. Once that book Maka wrote about the Evans family gets put on the shelves William Evans is going to want her head; they feel going there will protect them better from the backlash of it all," He explained gently. He looked down at his hands and let out a small sigh. "It's terrible to realize that I can't really protect my little girl from such a big threat but I'm also glad she's opened up her heart to someone. I just hope that Soul can take good care of her and that, someday, I'll get to see them again." He confessed with a small smile. Even if he wasn't completely happy about it, he was glad to some degree that his little angel had found a good man to help keep her strong.

"Aw, don't worry Spirit-Kun~! I'm sure Maka and Soul will call you to visit once they have some beautiful little grandbabies for you to see~!" Blair gushed excitedly. He paled and his eyes widened to the size of saucer plates.

"Wh-What? My Maka… Having babies? NO!" He yelled loudly, stumbling out of his chair and to his knees. His hands were clutched to his skull and he was laying on the floor, entire body shaking.

"Is that a normal occurrence with him?" Wes asked, pointing calmly at the other male.

"Pretty much~! You'll get used to it as we spend more time together, though~!" Blair giggled happily, yellow eyes all aglow with joy and mirth.

…

Maka took in a deep breath of the salty sea air. She and Soul had agreed that going by ship to Britain sounded more appealing than going by plane, so here they were. Soul was talking with one of the workers on the ship, making sure all their arrangements were in place. She stared out at the waves glistening in the light of the sun, the tide reaching up to her ankles and leaving her feet wet. She perked up when a large, warm hand fell to her shoulder. She glanced up to see Soul grinning at her.

She had to admit that she loved how Soul looked right now. He was wearing a regular long sleeved white blouse, regular black slacks and a black fedora. She eased into his arm and closed her eyes, a smile on her lips. She herself was wearing a light purple tube-top dress that reached her knees and a pair of white sandals. Her hair was let loose and she had on a white sun hat with a pink ribbon wrapped around it. "Are you ready to go?" He asked gently, lacing their fingers together. The light silver bands on their rings fingers clacked together with a soft chiming noise that wasn't too loud or soft.

"I'm ready when you are. And I am excited," She mused happily, leaning up and kissing his jaw lightly. He chuckled, angled his head downward a little more, and their lips brushed briefly. "Once we get settled in we'll have to have the others come visit."

"But of course," He agreed lightly. They turned and head toward the ship, ignoring how other smiled and giggled at their cute cuddling. "After all, you're going to need some bridesmaids at our wedding."

End

_So long, So long, And  
>Thanks<br>For all the fish~!_


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